Athanasia
by EchoSerenade
Summary: She never wanted to be light years away from home. She didn't care about her father's impossible dreams nor her sister's need to prove herself. She also hated the synthetic that wouldn't leave her alone, but none of that mattered because when did anyone ever care about what she wanted? David 8/OC Trigger Warning. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: There will be triggering scenes. Rated M.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Alien series or the characters in them. This is applicable throughout the entire story.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

After being woken up from hibernation, I wondered for the umpteenth time why I was even here. The very prospect of infinite space frightened me. If I was lost, no one was going to even find my dehydrated corpse in some foreign planet or floating around in the abyss.

The honest truth was that I really had no choice. Despite my adamant protests, father managed to force me into this vessel.

I hated getting into the suit and I hated the aspect of being asleep for an indefinite amount of time. The uncertainty of everything made my head spin. Getting up was an even more dreadful process. My stomach turned and if I had anything in my stomach, I would've lost it.

"Water?"

I shakily took the glass from his hands and quickly downed the clear, refreshing liquid. Once I regained my bearings, I smiled at his attentive state. "Thank you, David."

"Of course." He retrieved the glass from me and placed it on the counter while he waited on the rest of the crew who was still being woken from hyper sleep.

I watched him patiently speak to each and every one of them. Out of everyone here, I'd say that I liked him best. He was always fair and never treated me as if I was less like everyone else. It wasn't my fault that my interests lied elsewhere, but he never cared about that.

Of course, he was also a David 8 series synthetic that wasn't made to discriminate in that way. He was made to serve the purpose of this expedition.

"Go take a shower." I looked at Meredith staring down at me.

"Okay." Sometimes, my sister seemed more like a synthetic that David did. I knew that several people had thought the same, but I knew that that wasn't the case. As a child, I had seen her bleed and cry. She was most definitely human.

I stood under the showers, savouring the feeling of the droplets strumming against my skin. It was quite chilly, but the sensation jolted me out of my groggy state. I had to be alert for this. I may not want to be here, but that was already all said and done. I needed to finish up quickly so that I could go back to my life on Earth.

A hand slid around my waist, the cool body pressed against my back. "Would you like some assistance?"

Humming contently, I allowed him to rinse off the suds before sliding himself in me. His thrusts were all identical in strength and length. In and out. In and out. In and out.

"Faster," I gasped. "Harder."

He complied, moving quickly. The side of my face was smashed agains the wall as he pushed me harder and harder against the slick panel.

"Does this please you?" he purred into my ears.

"Yes!" I moaned. I could feel the heat consuming me. "David…" I cried out his name as my body seized, clenching around him as I came and came.

He kept me up after sliding out and turned fof the faucet. With his free hand, he wrapped a towel around me and began to systematically dry me down. When he got to the point between my legs, he paused.

I watched him with hooded eyes as he ran a long, pale finger along the slit, rubbing the slick substance between his digits. He observed it as if it was our first time, again. There was a contemplative look on his face that made me wonder what he must've been thinking.

Curiously, he lifted his finger to his lips and give it a lick. "You taste different after coming out of hyper sleep."

At this point, I didn't care, at all. My legs were about to give out on me and all I wanted to do was fall on to my bed.

He straightened his back. "We shall have to investigate this further in the near future."

I smiled. No one was going to hear me complain about that.

I knew what I was doing was heavily frowned upon, but no one had to know and David seemed more than happy to comply. It had started with curiosity at first from both ends. After father made him, I was immediately fascinated. The inhuman nature of him was so strange and tantalising, but I had hated him once, in a past that no longer mattered.

If father ever knew, he would kill me.

"Cassandra, you there?" I heard Elizabeth Shaw knock on my door. "The captain wants us out there in the next hour."

"Alright. I'll be right there," I called back to her. I didn't know why they thought it'd be appropriate for me to be out there. The likelihood was that I was going to trip over some foliage and fall off a cliff.

With a sigh, I made my way out. The rest of the crew were already suited up, except for our captain, Idris, Meredith, and a couple of the maintenance and medical crew. They were going to be in here in case anything went wrong. I wished that I could be, too.

I turned to David with a nervous look on my face and followed him out into the alien terrain.

The planet felt barren compared to what I was used to. There was a desert with tall landforms that resembled mountains. Supposedly, its atmosphere composition was close to earth, comprising of nitrogen, oxygen, and a bit of carbon dioxide. At least, that was all our sensors were able to detect.

We all walked around in wonder before getting on the carriers to travel further. What were we going to find?

Shaw was convinced that the Engineers – our God, our maker – must've originated from here. Somehow, the cave drawings were enough to persuade father to put together this expedition. It seemed so farfetched. If they were on this planet, why haven't we seen them, yet? What if they had no physical form?

We had come so far from our homes on a small possibility that there was something more here. Were we even going to be able to go back once it was all over?

Whereas I was anxious and doubtful, I could hear the others' excited chatter. Holloway and Shaw were psyching each other up with the prospect of a new life form. Why did they want to find God? Weren't they afraid that they'd be disappointed? What if they simply didn't exist?

I closed my eyes, momentarily turning off the communication link. I didn't want to find anything. That could be my worst nightmare. The chance of them being hostile was high. We were, after all, trespassing on their territory.

A small nudge to my side and I turned to David who had take his eyes off the road, but was still driving perfectly onward.

I switched his private link on.

"Are you alright, Cassandra?" His soothing voice washed over me.

I smiled back. "I'm fine. I just can't wait until this is over."

He tilted his head. "Are you not excited to discover something new?"

"I'm scared," I confessed. He already knew this, but I had no problem repeating myself to him. He was a great secret keeper. "What if this is all a big mistake? Just because this place is similar to Earth does not mean it is the same. There is so much diversity and evolution outside of what we understand. We have no way of telling which path these species have taken on."

"But at least we'll know," remarked, turning his gaze back on the road.

"Yes…" The knowledge, however, would be useless if we couldn't take it back with us.

When I next opened my eyes, I had switched the public link back on and I heard several exclamations of excitement. They bounced and pointed at a black form in the distance. As we neared it, I noticed how massive it was.

Once we stopped, I slowly exited the vehicle. It was like a cavern beneath the tall structure. Fifield activated the scanners and sent it down the winding tunnels.

We ventured in further. It was pitch black. Our flashlights only illuminated so far. Each step I took echoed in my head. There was nothing particularly magnificent about this cave other than the question: Who made it? The tunnels seemed too perfect for it to be a product of nature. Perhaps it wasn't a cave at all.

I could see the glee in David's eyes as he scrutinised everything carefully. He touched anything he could reach and took several samples of the moisture that seemed to cling to the walls.

Eventually, we reached a large clearing. Holloway looked at his monitor before grinning and taking off his helmet. My eyebrows rose in disbelief as he whooped in joy that this was breathable air.

Was he an idiot? Just because it was breathable didn't mean that it was safe. There could be numerous bacteria and pathogens entering his body at that very moment.

Despite my worries, however, I was dismissed in favour of what breathable air entailed. Even David wasn't hearing a word I said. With a shake of my head, I decided to let them face the consequences. If they wanted to get themselves killed, that was fine by me. I just worried for the future of humanity because these were supposedly some of the more intelligent people of their fields.

I walked around the perimeter, looking at all the intricate details that were covered by many years of grime. Some of the little crevices were covered by what appeared to be viscous green slime. I crinkled my nose in disgust.

When I saw David bring it towards his face as if he was going to taste it, I made to shout at him, but he reeled back when – I assumed – the stench drew him away.

Good, I didn't want whatever that was inside him and have it transferred to me. Besides, who knew if that would interfere with his system.

I was beside him as he fiddled around with the markings on the wall near the ceiling. Lights lit up in succession and then, a blue glow washed over the corridor.

Humanoid figures appeared out of nowhere. They ran towards us and I took a step back, pressing myself against David who stood still and allowed the projections to go through us. It was such a peculiar sensation. There was something there, yet nothing at all.

"What was that?" one of them asked, staring behind the glow.

If David hadn't been there, I, too, would've fallen to the side like everyone else. As it was, his hands on my shoulder kept me steady on my feet.

"I think the question is… what made them run?" I whispered. Their frantic forms indicated fear – panic, but what had been the cause? Who could've frightened those mighty beings so much?

"Come on!" Holloway shouted, quickly following the projection. "Let's find out where they're going!"

I let out an exasperated sigh and trailed after them. The projection flickered and I managed to catch the end of it. The remaining humanoid being fell and laid still by the wall. No, it was a door. The rest had hid away on the other side, but this one had been too slow. The door came down and decapitated it.

Where the projection of it ended was its physical form. It had long since decayed, leaving what resembled a hard suit or some form of exoskeleton.

David scaled up a ladder and started pressing buttons above the door.

"Can you please not…?" I dreaded what we were going to find. It could literally be anything.

The sequence ended and the stone slab slid up, revealing a sea of what appeared to be black urns. There had to be hundreds – thousands – of them. And at the very back was a large statue. It was the face of what I assumed what the Engineers looked like, or perhaps what they worshipped.

If Shaw and Holloway were out here looking for our creators, it didn't seem so farfetched that they had idols of their own. Was that what brought them here?

Clearly, this couldn't have been their place of origin. As far as I could tell, this planet was deserted and this appeared to be the ship they came in. Something had gone horribly wrong. Something had chased them inside this ship. Where was it, now? And what happened to the ones that had gotten away? Had they already died of old age. _Could_ they age?

I shook my head. I was letting their foolish excitement get to me.

"I am not staying here a minute longer!' I suddenly heard Fifield yell at Shaw. "I'm a geologist! I love rocks! This wasn't what I was here for!"

To her credit, Shaw was completely unfazed by his towering form.

Fifield, not wanting to go alone, managed to convince Millburn, who looked as if he was going to pass out, to go with him. The two filed back the way we came and no one said another word about it.

I turned back to the remainder of the crew. As much as I wanted to follow the duo, I felt much safer by David's side because despite looking completely human, he had inhuman strength that could only be possessed by a machine.

"Let's take this back with us," I heard Shaw say excitedly to Holloway.

They were crowding around the head and poking it with their fingers. The delight in her eyes could only be overshadowed by the utter love and devotion Holloway looked at her. I was sure that he would've done anything for her.

Feeling a hit of jealousy, I quickly shook my head and crouched beside David, observing the dark urns. A look of revulsion narrowed my eyes when I saw the top appeared almost liquid with something moving right beneath the surface.

"What is that?" I asked, knowing that no one would have the answer. Whatever was inside had to be alive. I was relieved that I hadn't taken my helmet off like everyone else. These things could carry pathogens. It could be airborne. Or perhaps these things were parasites. I definitely didn't want anything resembling a leech to be stuck on my face.

We didn't have much time to look around much longer when the captain informed us that a storm was approaching. We were going to have to return to base. It was a blessing that I wasn't' going to take for granted. I couldn't wait until I was able to lavish in the safety of my room.

When I saw David sliding an urn into his bag, however, I groaned with dread. Was he really going to take it on board? He had better not drop it anywhere and release it into the open.

That better not happen…

Seriously…

When we walked out, the wind had already picked up, sending dry soil flying everywhere. I didn't feel bad at all when my companions all scrambled to put their helmets back on.

…

"You seem tense," David stated, watching me write fervently in my journal. "Would you like me to help you relax?"

My pen stopped and I sighed. "I know there are other things you're dying to do. Go do that. I'll be fine."

"Of course."

I thought he had left, but of course, he was most definitely the least obedient synthetic I had ever known. He turned my chair around and promptly threw me on to the bed. "David!" I glared at him. I wasn't in the mood.

Currently, I was just annoyed at everything and everyone, including him. I hated being treated as if I didn't know anything. I may not be an expert in any particular field, but I had common sense that wasn't' clouded by any religious bias. That was more than what I would give the others credit for.

"Your mind is elsewhere." His lips were so close to mine. I could feel the heat coming from his body and the breath brushing my lips. Despite imitating human kind so well, he was still but a synthetic – something artificial. Sometimes, I just needed to keep reminding myself of that fact.

I leaned my head back with a sigh. "Why don't you ever listen to me?" It was so exasperating.

He had already efficiently tugged away all of our clothes. "It is my duty to take care of you. It is no fault of mine if you don't understand what that entails."

I glared at him, but it didn't last long when he swiftly entered me. Our bodies moved quickly. He brought me to a mechanical rhythm that took me to the edge quicker than anything my mind could keep up with.

"I hate you!" was the last thing I cried out when all the tension disappeared and I was left boneless, on the verge of passing out.

He was absolutely despicable.

I felt him get off and didn't even bother putting his uniform on before sitting back on his chair, peering into the microscope.

I had shifted over until I was lazily watching him work. He did everything gracefully, quietly. Everything was processed in the most logical way possible.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

As some of you may already know, I never intended for this story to have chapters. It was just supposed to be a one-shot, maybe five thousand words long, but currently, I'm pretty sure I have over ten thousand words written on paper and I'm only half way of what I want to write, so I've decided to split it up. It also gives me time to type everything up because that is honestly the worst part of writing – transferring what is already written on paper is just such a mind-numbing task. I hate having to copy everything, but I also like using pen and paper…


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

"This is David 8. He has all the previous functions as the generations before him, but more." I suppressed a yawn as the speaker went on. Even for this, father couldn't be present for the launch of his newest creation. There was always something more important. He was most likely watching all of this on a screen and already taking notes for David 9. He always saw every flaw. It didn't matter what or who it was.

No one was safe from his brutal analysis. My sister and I had to live our entire lives without him, all except his "days off" where he spewed out a string of "constructive criticisms" before being called away, again.

I never missed him when he was gone. He was a stranger who didn't even see us as human beings. It was as if we, too, were nothing but synthetics to him – something to take apart and rebuild.

Despite growing resentful of him, we continued to futilely try to gain his approval. It was pathetic. We'd stoop to the lowest of the low to make him proud. None of it ever amounted to anything because his David always did it better.

We were the human subjects he used to improve his little pet project. He modelled David to our species, but sought to eliminate all our human flaws. We were the guinea pigs and David was the ultimate goal.

"Any questions?"

There were many from the audience. Their excited chatter was giving me a headache.

I closed my eyes and didn't open them until he walked out. Whereas the other Davids were still very obviously mechanical, David 8 didn't glide. He moved in a way that was very human.

It didn't take me long to realise that David 8 was different from all the other Davids. There was a child-like curiosity in him that was almost endearing. _Almost…_

We had been put in charge of him as a test run and he touched everything he could get his hands on, including sticking his digits into boiling water that alarmed me at first until I remembered that not only was he not human, he was also made of stronger material that didn't easily bend to the elements.

With David here, father visited far more frequently to check on how the synthetic was doing. I despised them both for it. Not only did father become more vicious with his remarks, he did it in front of a stranger. Even the simplest actions warranted criticism. I didn't boil water properly. I opened and closed the doors too loudly. I didn't enunciate enough. Every little thing that no one would even care about, he'd find a way to deconstruct.

I had to live with the perfect boy who could do no wrong.

I hated him.

I hated him so, so much.

I hated him even more when he witnessed my most shameful moment. Shane and I had just broken up and I was devastated. He had been the first person I had ever given my heart to and he carelessly tossed it into the ocean like I never mattered. I never realised how quickly his eyes could wander.

Now, I was in my room sulking with tears flowing unstoppably down my face. My hair fell messily down my shoulders, greasy and disgusting. I had completely let myself go after we broke up. I didn't think anyone hurt me like that.

My fingers strummed moodily to a discordant tune. My mind was swimming with sadness and regret. He had been my first love, my first kiss, and my first heartbreak when I pushed away his constant advances for something more.

It wasn't because I didn't want it. I did. I most definitely wanted him in the most intimate way possible, but I had to know how committed he was to me. Would he leave me once he got what he wanted?

Clearly, it didn't seem like it mattered in the end. Five months and twelve days was all he could take. What was five months without sex? Had it mattered so much to him to toss me aside? I had given him everything else.

I let out a scream of frustration and threw my pick across the room, hitting an unsuspecting David in the cheek. His eyes widened ever so slightly and it was the first time I had ever caught him by surprise.

"I – " I wanted to apologise to him, but then I remembered that he was nothing but a stupid synthetic. He didn't know pain. All he was was a cold piece of machinery that was made to entertain an old man – to make him feel important.

"There is no need to apologise." He bent over and picked up the small triangular piece of plastic.

I narrowed my eyes. "Who said I was even going to apologise?" I huffed, tossing my guitar down on to the bed, ignoring the hand that he extended out. The pick looked so small and insignificant in his large, pale hands.

Turning stubbornly to the side, I wrapped my arms around my knees and suppressed a sigh. Now, I couldn't even have any privacy in my own room.

An experimental chord sounded from behind me and then, I heard the complicated melody that he weaved. It sounded like nothing I had ever heard from a guitar. He was playing _classical_ pianomusic on it.

I wanted to stay angry at him, but the soft tune seemed to sweep away all the pent up emotions. It held me in its comforting arms, pushing away the heartache.

I found myself watching his long fingers dance along the strings as if it was a piano. Perhaps that was his choice of instrument. I had never heard him play anything before, but clearly, he was fluent with some or all of them. Was this something programmed into him?

Slowly, his fingers stopped and he looked at me. "I've learned that music can ease the emotions in certain individuals."

Had he actually been… trying to comfort me? It seemed so out of character for him. The David I knew couldn't care less if the house burned down and everyone on this building died. At least… that was my impression of him. Had I been wrong? No, I couldn't let these new thoughts erase what I already knew. He was a synthetic. They didn't feel. They didn't care. They were made to perform human tasks that were typically too difficult to do.

I snatched away the guitar. "Who said you could touch it?" I grumbled, clutching the shapely wood against me.

"I apologise. I thought it would help. Perhaps you'd like to speak about what's troubling you, instead?" He looked patiently back at me with his hands in his lap.

I pursed my lips, a sudden anger filled me. "Stop pretending like you're human! You're not! And you don't care about me. You don't even know me! Stop pretending! I'm sick of it!"

And suddenly, I saw the change in him. His eyes darkened and for the first time, I feared him. This wasn't a side that I knew about. All this time, I treated him as if he was nothing more than a mindless robot that followed anything and everything. Maybe there was more to him, after all, and I wasn't sure if I liked it.

His hand shot out and grabbed me before I could even react. With a sharp tug, I had half fallen on him.

"Is that what you wish?" he asked. "Does perfection upset you?"

What had I just gotten myself into?

He had become something entirely unpredictable. Did father know of this?

"Or perhaps you are still upset over Shane?" He tilted his head.

"How…?" How did he know? Our relationship had been a secret. We never met up here. I either went over to his place or we met up wherever else we decided to visit. I was sure that even Meredith didn't know about Shane.

He didn't reply. Instead, he pulled my head back and his lips crashed into my own. Tried as I might, I couldn't make sense of what was happening. My brain completely shut down.

I blinked. In that split second, I noticed how soft those lips were and how they were _warm_. Despite having him around for so long, I never really approached him for anything in particular. He was simply always there.

He snapped me out of my thoughts when he lifted the hem of my dress and ran a finger along the thin piece of fabric that was keeping my virtue intact.

I jolted back and pushed him away. My heart was racing in my chest. How dare he? If my boyfriend – ex-boyfriend – of almost six months couldn't touch me there, how dared he think that it was alright for him?!

He made no further advances after that, but from that day on, I had been hyper aware of his presence. He remained swirling around in my mind and I didn't know how to get rid of him.

Whatever he was doing to me, it was working. I couldn't keep my mind or eyes off him and one night, he entered my room after a brief set of knocks.

"Ms. Cassandra," he greeted me with a small bow of his head.

I frowned at him. "Just Cassandra is fine. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

He smiled indulgently at me. "Of course, Ms. Cassandra."

My eye twitched and I fought the urge to hurl the closest thing at him. When I informed father of David 8's defects, he assured me that they were all intentional, that it was _progress_. Needless to say, I silently scoffed at his foolish dreams. He was a dying, old man who thought he could continue on as if he had more time than he actually did.

"What do you want, David?" I tiredly asked him, slipping my feet beneath the covers and turned my back on him. I was tired and in no mood to deal with him.

When the bed dipped down from behind me, I quickly shot back up, shooting him a glare. "What do you think you're doing?" I hissed.

He had gotten behind me and proceeded to settle beneath the covers – mimicking my previous action. His warm legs brushed against my icy feet. The bed instantly warmed up to a nice toasty temperature. My toes curled happily as they bathed in the warmth and I couldn't help letting out a sigh of contentment. This was lovely. The bed was always too cold no matter how high I turned the thermostat.

It wasn't long before I dozed off into a dreamless sleep. In fact, it was the best sleep I remembered having for a long time. When I woke up, he was still beside me with his eyes closed. If it hadn't been for his motionless chest, I could've believed that he was human. As it were, he was more like a very beautiful statue or doll.

I reached out a hand towards him and stopped just a breadth's length away. He wasn't asleep. He didn't sleep. So what was he doing, right now?

My fingers twitched, but I managed to back away before I did anything stupid.

Unfortunately, as nights went by and a ritual began, the temptation grew. He'd stay in the bed until morning and I'd stare at his motionless form, wondering what he was thinking, or if he was thinking at all. Did he have some sort of sleep function like a computer?

I was only able to hold out for so long before I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me. The skin on his face was just as life-like as the rest of him. It slightly gave way as human flesh would. I brushed my thumb across his lips. They were so soft, perhaps too soft.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. They were instantly focused on me and his hand gripped my wrist tightly.

Neither of us moved. His eyes seemed to be observing every twitch my body and face made while I stared at him in bewilderment. "L-Let go of me," I stuttered, cursing myself for squeaking like a young girl. "What are you doing?" My eyes widened as his other hand travelled down my body.

"Your heart is racing," he stated. His fingers slide down my pants. "You are moist."

I clenched my eyes shut. "Don't use that word." It was so embarrassing, especially when my body involuntarily pressed closer against him.

"Of course, Cassandra." His face was passive, but his voice was almost a purr as if he was actually _enjoying_ this. "I believe wearing soaked clothes is bad for your health."

I let out a shriek when he ripped off my pants as if it was made of paper. His body seemed warmer than usual with my bare legs on him. "What are you doing?" I protested.

His eyes closed and without warning, he had flipped us over.

"David, stop it," I breathed, but my body was already burning with anticipation.

His hand stopped and I couldn't help feeling disappointed. "Is that what you want, Cassandra?"

"Stop saying my name like that." I tried to sound firm, but I was half panting. The heat pooling northward was distracting me. It was so difficult to think when it felt as if my body was on fire.

He blinked and then settled back on the bed with his eyes closed as if nothing had happened. It almost felt as if I had dreamt the entire thing, but my lack of pants was enough to solidify that I wasn't losing my mind, yet.

And just like that, neither of us spoke of that moment again, but he continued to slide into bed with me every night. I knew that by now, Meredith must've known what we were up to, but she never said a word about it. In fact, she was completely unfazed. The only way I knew she had known was from the initial long look she had given us when we entered the kitchen together for breakfast one morning.

"Father wishes to speak with us," she told me, one day. It had been a while since I last saw him. He had left David 8 here and this was the longest time since his last visit. I thought he had forgotten completely about the synthetic and moved on by now, but apparently, the old man also wanted to see him.

Since father requested it, we all packed a small bag to travel to his tower. It was a silent trip where neither my sister nor I had anything to say, but both of us suspected that something was up. It was rare for him to call us to his place. This was going to be big. We just never realised how big.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Thank you **Love Fiction 2017** and **Zerousy** for reviewing!


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

My eyes fluttered open when a hand touched my cheek. He stared back at me in that typical passive countenance that used to enrage me.

"He wishes to speak with you."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "He can come here if he wants it so badly." I turned my back on him and burrowed my head beneath the covers.

The covers were whipped away, but I stubbornly curled into myself.

"You know why he cannot do that."

I huffed. "If he'd give up this ridiculous farce, he'd have nothing to worry about!"

Nevertheless, Id ragged myself out of bed and made my way to his secret chamber where a nurse was currently wiping down his feet.

They took their time, while I waited on the side, wondering what he could possibly want with me and where Meredith could be. He typically spoke to us as a unit, rarely as individuals.

Once the nurse was waved off, he beckoned me over with his shaky hands. "Look at me, Cassandra," he rasped. "Old and useless, but soon, we shall find the cure to that, won't we?"

I pursed my lips to keep from saying anything offensive. My views clashed drastically with his. I found death to be a natural process of everything. Eventually, even the universe would end and something new would take its place. There was nothing wrong with it. The worst thing about his ambition was that it affected everyone else around him. His fear of death made living far less enjoyable. He was obsessed to the point where he wasn't truly living anymore. Every second of every day was spent trying to find a way to live longer.

I resented it because it was that ambition that kept him from spending time with us like a normal father would. Wasn't that what fathers did?

"David." He motioned to the synthetic who had gotten in after me.

The blond dutifully walked over to the old man who held his hand in a way he never held mine. "You will be the key to my success."

I turned away from them, feeling jealousy that I thought had long since disappeared, but it had resurfaced so quickly that I didn't know what to do about it. David had more than proven to me that he would never do anything to mean me harm and father was father. He never made it a secret that Meredith and I were quite low in his list of priorities.

I just… really thought I had grown out of it by now.

Obviously not.

"Cassandra, you are in charge of making sure that nothing happens to David." I gritted my teeth at his words. 'He is the most important part of my plan. Without him – "

I turned on my heels and left. His voice immediately cut off by the heavy set of soundproof doors.

How dare he?

Tears burned my eyes as I hurried down the winding corridors.

How dare he think me as little more than nothing – reduced to a servant meant to protect a _synthetic_. How laughable…

Did I truly mean so little to him?

"Cass – "

I brushed by Idris who gave me a worried look, but I didn't care. I was beyond caring at this point. I was done with father. I was done with this mission. I was done with everyone on this ship and that included David. I was just _done_.

Slipping on my suit, I slammed my hand on the button that released the airlock and opened the door. The storm had already began to die down, so I carefully made my way into a carrier and drove out into the distance where I could be away from all of them.

Safety be damned, I didn't even care if something came and ate me.

I stomped on the breaks and let out a long scream.

I screamed and screamed until my throat was sore and then, I cried.

It was all his fault. I was never going to board the ship.

…

 _He watched me throw things around the house in anger. His face never changed, even when some of the broken trinkets belonged to him._

 _Once I was done, I went on a long rant. "If he thinks I'm just going to leave everything behind to go on an impossible journey, then he's sorely mistaken. Find our creator? Find immortality? Did he think that we were in some science fiction story? I'm not about to go on this fool's errand and waste my life chasing the old man's dream!"_

 _He allowed me to yell and shout and scream at him as everything came bursting out of my chest. And when I began to cry, he came over, wrapping his arms around me._

 _I cried until there were no more tears to shed, but still, I clung on to him as if he was my only life line._

 _His arms bent behind my knees as he scooped me up and carried me into our room. Ours. He had pushed himself irreversibly into every aspect of my life. Once there, he did nothing but hold me as I continued to try to stay afloat in my own misery._

 _"I wish I was never born," I whispered to him. "What am I even here for?"_

 _He tightened his grip around me and I felt his chest expand as he seemed to be taking in a deep breath. "Perhaps you are here to be my humanity."_

 _I looked at him with teary, confused eyes and saw him staring back at me. There was something in his eyes that made me stop and truly look at him._

 _Beyond all the perfection and impeccable imitation of being human, there was something else. He wasn't perfect and he wasn't human. There was a desire for something more than what was designed for him – than what was possible for him._

 _This was the first time I had ever stopped to think that his entire purpose was already set in stone since the time he had been made. He never had a choice, but he had taken it all in strides, even with the addition of my tantrums and here he was again trying to comfort me._

 _"And what do you want, right now?" I asked him, my heart was pounding against my chest._

 _"To touch and feel what humanity is like. To have my humanity," he stated. His words were soft, barely audible, but they were enough for me._

 _I touched his hand, feeling each long finger before placing them on specific parts of my body. "Then take your humanity," I breathed._

 _"Cassandra…"_

 _" Please." This was as much for him as it was for me._

 _And that was all it took for him to flip us over. His hard body pressed tightly against me and I felt the bulge between his left nudge my stomach._

 _A frightful thrill filled me. "David…"_

 _…_

I jolted up, straightening my back when there was a knock on the window. HE waited as I unlocked the door to let him in.

"What are you doing here?" I found it difficult to even look at him with father's words still circling around my head. "Shouldn't you be back on the Prometheus? He won't be happy knowing that his precious David had walked all the way here in this storm."

"I believe his words had been for you to protect me from any danger. That means that I should be staying clock to you, or have I interpreted him incorrectly?" He tilted his head at me.

I let out a mirthless laugh, shaking my head. "If only he knew what a rebel his perfect child really is."

"It is no fault of mine if my interpretation may be different from his intentions," he stated, taking my hand in his.

In silence, we sat in the carrier before I laid my helmeted head on his shoulder and began to doze off. If I didn't think about how far from home I was, this place was actually quite peaceful, even with the debris flying about.

"Cassandra, can you hear me?"

I pressed the blinking button. "I'm here, captain." I knew I was going to get an earful for this.

"Get back here. I'm not going to waste power over this." With that, Idris was gone, again. He was a good captain, albeit a bit of a pushover, sometimes.

Seeing my tired expression, David switched seats with me and drove us back to the ship.

When we arrived, I hadn't expected to find Meredith with a flamethrower in her hands.

"Is that… Holloway?" I stared at the scene in disbelief. What had happened while I was away?

As soon as we came to a stop, I hopped off and rushed to the crowd of frantic crew members. Once I was close enough, I noticed the problem. There was something very, very wrong with Charlie. His face was covered with black veins and his eyes were but black orbs with barely any whites visible.

What was wrong with him?

"Please, he needs help!" Elizabeth Shaw cried, trying to urge Meredith to let him in, but I knew my sister well and I knew that she wasn't going to budge. I whole-heartedly agreed with her decision. We didn't know enough about the condition to help him. We also didn't know if he was contagious.

"Let's think about this…" Kate, the medical officer, tried to pacify the situation. "Maybe we can isolate him in the Medbay where we can properly study him."

"And where are we going to put the people who we can actually help?" Meredith shot back with hard eyes. "I am not letting him on board. You can either step away or burn with him."

"You can't do this!" Shaw continued to protest, holding on tightly to him.

"Yes, I can." Meredith narrowed her eyes. 'My priority is the success of this mission. I have more people on board whose safety will have to come first. I will not jeopardise them for your petty feelings."

I took my spot beside her as support. We may not have the closest sibling relationship, but she was still my sister. She was also usually right. I really couldn't fault her logic of sacrificing one to save many. It was a hard decision that I knew others would have difficulty making.

"Cassandra…!" Shaw looked at me with pleading eyes, hoping that I'd come to her aid, but I shook my head. I wasn't going to waver – not this time.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we should let him in, either. We don't know what's happening to him, but we can put everyone's lives in danger." My gaze flickered over to David who was observing intensely at the spectacle in front of him. "David…?"

"Do it!" Holloway urged Meredith. "I want them safe as much as you do." His sad eyes went to Elizabeth who shook her head at him. "I love you." He walked forward, tempting Meredith until she had no choice, but to pull the trigger. "I – "

His voice was lost in the roar of fire shooting at Holloway. I turned my head as Elizabeth cried. It was heartbreaking. Everyone knew how close they were. From their attitudes, I could almost believe that they were able to sail the universe and uncover all of its mysteries. Almost… Perhaps in fiction.

Once the charred form of the archaeologist fell on to the dry soil, Meredith tossed the flamethrower to the side and walked away without another word. She had made her point clear, no matter how it personally affected her to kill someone.

I made my way to the redhead who had collapsed beside her lover's body. "Charlie…"

"Come on, Elizabeth. We'll give him a proper burial." I tried to get her up, but she had become an unmoveable force. "Elizabeth, the two of you had a dream together to… to find your _Engineers_. He'd still want you to do that." I knew I was rubbish trying to comfort her. I never really needed to do it. Meredith was always strong, even through tough times. I was usually the one who needed help.

"I loved him…" she sobbed. "I loved him so much."

I sighed. "I know. I'm sorry…"

When I looked back to where David had been, I noticed that he was making his way over. He crouched beside me, looking curiously at the body that was barely recognisable. He looked at what was left as if he was doing an autopsy. There was a fascination in there that made me suspicious.

I knew he had taken one of the urns from the cavernous temple. Either what he brought in was some sort of airborne parasite, or David had done something to Holloway. I really hoped it was the latter because if it was airborne, we would all be infected.

Once we were alone, I approached him. "Did you have anything to do with what happened to Holloway?" I was blunt. I wasn't going to give him any room to "interpret" things his own way.

He smiled at me. "I had his full consent. He was willing to do anything to further his cause and I believe I made some headway with this new discovery, but I'm still waiting for another part to come to fruition."

"Another part?" I repeated in exasperation. "Am I to expect more people dying? And did he even know he was going to die, leaving a very distraught girlfriend behind?"

"I believed that was implied when I asked him." He was sitting with his hands clasped on the table, staring innocently at me.

"David…" I dropped my face into my hands. What was I going to do with him? I knew his tendency to explore everything was programmed into him, but surely, there had to be some limit? How far was he going to go?

"I've upset you," he stated, a frown marring his smooth features. He got up from his seat and walked over, his feet barely making a sound. "What can I do to rectify the situation?"

The bed dipped as he sat on the edge.

I didn't even know what to say. It made my head spin trying to differentiate between the inherent programming and what he had acquired learning from everything around him.

"Cassandra…"

With a defeated sigh, I shook my head. "It's nothing. It's not your fault. I knew he must've said something to you. I'm just… How far are _you_ willing to go for him? What are _you_ willing to give up?"

"There is much I will do to further my knowledge," he truthfully told me. "This universe intrigues me."

 _What about me?_

I wanted to ask him, but I didn't want to know the answer to that. I wanted to stay blissfully unaware if he would easily sacrifice me as he did to Holloway.

"Are you wondering if – "

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," I cut him off.

We didn't speak of it, again, and I gladly welcomed his warm body around mine. HE started out extra gentle, but I hadn't been in the mood for it. I pushed him on to his back and took all of him into me. I moved in a rhythm that we weren't used to, but he was a fast learner.

He twisted his body and easily overpowered me without breaking the pace. His body moved with the fluidity that only he could achieve. It was early on in our affair that I realised he had ruined me of ever having a human lover and it hadn't been for the lack of trying.

"David!" My nails dug into his back. I was wound so tightly around him that for a moment, I thought we were truly one being. When I came back down, I was little more than goo, cuddling up to him.

"Sleep well, Cassandra," he spoke into my hair.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Thank you **Zerousy, MageVickey, Love Fiction 2017** , and **vampgirliegirl** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

The next morning, we were suiting up to go back. Millburn and Fifield were still missing and we had lost contact with them during the storm. Even after the weather had cleared up, there had been no reaching them.

"This is what Charlie would've wanted," I heard Shaw mutter to herself.

Charlie Holloway had been given a quick burial before we set off and although Elizabeth wasn't crying anymore, I knew that she must've still been in turmoil. She was an admirably strong and determined woman. I could only hope that she would have a little more self-preservation than her counterpart.

Once we arrived, we went down different tunnels, both in hopes to find our two missing crew mate and to discover what else this place had to offer. There were plenty of small rooms that looked to be living quarters. There didn't seem to be anything personalised in them. Almost everything was the same dull shades. The items were mostly small, necessities, but nothing we could properly identify.

When we went further, we entered what appeared to be the control room. It was a round panel of buttons and several large seats situated around it. David wandered over curiously, but something else caught my eye.

I walked over to several pods tucked in a corner. Several of them were opened, revealing empty beds. The last was closed and peering through the transparent cover, I saw a chilling face.

"Is that…?" Shaw breathed in disbelief. She touched the cover with shaky hands, tears glistening in her eyes. "Charlie would've loved to see this…"

I stared at what I assumed was Shaw's _Engineers_. Or rather… just Engineer. There was only one and I wondered if it was the only one left. It looked masculine. Its face was sculpted like marble with a skin tone to match it, but there was a blue-tinge to its pallor.

Whatever it was, Shaw was excited to awaken the creature, but David quickly stopped her, saying that we weren't ready, yet. What he meant to say was that father wasn't present and we couldn't start without him.

Eventually, we were able to move Shaw away from the slumbering Engineer and re-entered the corridors where we tried to dissect its culture. What did beings like the Engineer like? What language did they speak? What did they eat?

My covered fingers grazed the designs engraved into the walls. It looked to be of a completely different language that even David didn't understand, but from the way he stared at them, I reckoned that it was only in a matter of time before he became fluent with it.

After seeing Holloway become infected, albeit on purpose, I knew that anyone could end up the same way here. The parasites could be anywhere – everywhere.

While the others seemed to be absorbed with the writings on the walls, I rounded the corner and stopped at what I saw. It was as dark as the rest of this place, but the most obvious bit was the humanoid lump on the ground. "David…" I had taken one step forward, but thought better of it. "David!"

He was by my side in a moment, staring at the spot I was pointing at. We cautiously walked towards the form that was nearly hidden by the black urns – same as the ones that David had taken back on board.

"Is that…?" Once we got closer, I noticed the familiar suit. "Fifield?" I tried. "Millburn?" It didn't more or reply.

David turned the body over with his feet and the horrific face lulled towards me. Millburn had a look of pure terror frozen on his pale face. His mouth was wide open with… _something_ still in there. It was an off white colour and shaped like a snake. I noted the tear in his suit and wondered how it could've pierced it. The suits were made of high quality material. Father wouldn't have settled for anything less.

"Something burst out from here." David fingered the darkened dip that originated from his chest. I could see bits of bone sticking out. "Where could it have gone?"

My eyes darted around me. Indeed, where had it gone? If it had been strong enough to rip the suit, I didn't want it anywhere near me.

"Come, we should go back and see where Fifield went." David grabbed on to my arm and led me out of the large room. IF even he was leaving, I was definitely worried. "We found Millburn," he told them. "Fifield is still missing, but – "

Shaw suddenly bent over, clutching her stomach in pain.

"Ms. Shaw?" David frowned at her.

"S-sorry… Must've eaten something that disagreed with me," she stuttered. Pain was still in her eyes as I looked warily at her. "Let's go back. It's getting late."

That was very uncharacteristic of her. Typically, she would be the one protesting to stay despite the dangers.

"Wait, you said you found Millburn?" Sheppard asked.

"He's dead," I told him. "And I don't want to stay here anymore. Something is very wrong with this place. Whatever lives here is hostile."

I saw the flashes of fear in their eyes, including the look of uncertainty on Shaw's face.

"Let's go," I ordered, not wishing to stay here a moment longer. They were going to have to deal with me staying in the ship after this.

The ride back was silent. I sat beside David who kept glancing back at Elizabeth Shaw from the rear-view mirror. I wondered if he had a hand on the scientist's sudden discomfort. It was something I was going to have to ask him later.

When the ship came into view, we quickly filled in, while Elizabeth slinked off to where I assumed was the Med Bay.

I pulled David to the side before he could be engaged in anything and crossed my arms. "Well? What is wrong with Dr. Shaw?"

He smiled. "Nothing that I've done, but I had been hoping."

"Elaborate, David. I don't want any more secrets from you." I glared at him. HE had the tendency of lying by omission.

"When I infected Charlie Holloway, I had anticipated them becoming intimate. Humans seem to do it on a daily basis." His eyes darkened at me. "What would happen if Ms. Shaw becomes pregnant?"

"What?! So you've impregnated Elizabeth?!" I exclaimed, unable to hold back the shock.

"Not I, I assure you. Charlie Holloway did all the work there." He smiled smugly and I was tempted to slap I off his face.

"I can't stop my mission for you, Cassandra," he told me. "But I can make sure that none of this will ever harm you."

I _knew_ he was trying, but I just hated seeing him do all this for the old man. "You know… I'm apparently supposed to be the protector here."

He chuckled. "Of course. I will be in your small, capable hands."

I glared at him.

He was not funny.

"Now, if you'll excuse me. Dr. Shaw may need some medical assistance. Would you like to join me?" He offered me his hand, but I turned my head. I really wanted nothing to do with it.

He dropped his hand and clasped them behind his back. "Then I shall see you tonight if you still wish to see me."

"Yeah…" I mumbled my weakness.

When the door closed behind him, I stripped down and collapsed on to the bed. Several emotions raged within me. I was angry at father, frustrated at David, worried about Elizabeth, and frightened of what her pregnancy could mean.

I didn't want a random, murderous alien roaming the ship. I didn't want to be another casualty to this ridiculous expedition. Didn't the deaths of both Millburn and Holloway worry anyone else? Did it ever occur to father that he could die an even earlier death with this pursuit?

I got up and paced.

What were they doing, now? If she was truly pregnant, would David assist with the abortion or was he going to try to convince her to keep it? I wanted to believe that he would do what was best for us as a whole, but David's thought process didn't fall into the same logic as real human beings. He may look the part, but he was still a synthetic, programmed with specific goals. He was open-minded while working with tunnel vision. It was difficult trying to predict his decisions.

Once my thoughts became too much, I ran down the corridors in search of the synthetic.. It didn't take me long to spot him alone in the Med Bay, analysing a monitor with rapt attention.

"Where is she?" I asked him, knowing that she must've been here earlier. There was no other reason for him to sit here otherwise.

"I left her for a moment and she disappeared." HE swirled his chair around. "Come, look at this."

I leaned over, but was quickly pulled into his lap.

"Look at this." His lips were brushing my ear, making it difficult to concentrate on where his fingers were pointing. "She had intercourse with Dr. Holloway approximately ten hours ago, but the scan shows that she's already at least three months pregnant if it was a human baby."

"But it's not," I whispered. "And by now, it may be developed enough for an immature birth." The realisation made me pale in worry.

"Yes. I believe that in just a few hours, it would come to full term," he agreed. "Taking it out now could mean that there is a sixty percent chance of its survival."

And he was just going to let it happen.

His hand travelled up my body to cup my breasts, but I slapped them away. "Stop it, I'm angry with you," I hissed, trying to get up, but he resumed his hand on my hips. "David, I said – "

"Then let's have make up sex," he stated.

I froze. "What? Where did that come from?"

"The internet is an interesting place. I have learned much from all of its sources." He tapped his head. "Now, shall we move over to the scanner there?"

I hated myself for giving in, or I did after it was over. There really wasn't too much thinking when he had me laying on my stomach on the bed of the cold machine.

As I laid on the hard surface, David suddenly stood up. "Get up, your father wishes to see us."

I rolled my eyes. Not again… "I'm not going back there."

He smiled, then proceeded to pick me up and began to carry me to where father had been residing in secret.

"Wait! Let me…" I wiggled in his arms, trying to get the robe to cover me properly. Everyone was going to know!

He continued on forward despite my protests.

I patted down my hair and proceeded to do the same for his blonde locks and hoped that that was enough. Father was the last person I wanted to know that I had been fraternising with his perfect creation.

When we arrived, I was relieved to find the old man too pre-occupied with being dressed to notice my own presentation. I did, however, note that Shaw now had bandages around her abdomen. The offspring was gone, but where did it go?

"Good, all of you, follow me." Peter Weyland motioned us out. He didn't even spare me a glance as Shaw – still in a daze stumbled behind him.

David put me on my feet and we both quickly suited up, while he caught me up on what was going on.

After we had returned from the first visit here, Shaw and Holloway had showed us what they had found, while David hid away the black urn. They took the decapitated head and removed the helmet, revealing something that looked human, but wasn't. The skin tone was all wrong – stark white with an almost bluish undertone. The features were preserved perfectly with little signs of decay. What happened to it after, I didn't know. I hadn't stayed long enough to see what they had done with it and I really didn't want to see the pale-faced humanoid, again, but I assumed that David had showed it to father and now, he was over-exciting his frail, black heart.

"Father – " Meredith spoke up, but she, too, was ignored.

He was already too far gone. Once he set his mind on something, no one would be able to convince him otherwise. We all followed him to the carrier where David drove us back to the temple- like caverns. I had a bad feeling about it. Nothing good ever came out of that place, but father could not be deterred.

My eyes slid over to David who looked as excited as father. If we survived this, he was going to have a lot to make up for.

The march through the temple was nerve wracking.

Sure, it was fine and safe while it was in hyper sleep, but I knew that father would want to wake it up for questioning.

I lagged behind when we entered the final door. Father made a beeline towards the pod. He gazed at it with such wonderment. He truly believed that these Engineers could reverse the damage done by time and grant him immortality. I couldn't decide whether I felt disgusted or sympathetic for his naivety. For someone so intelligent – because even I couldn't deny that he was a genius – he was also so gullible and narrow-minded. It was baffling.

Perhaps I just didn't know him well enough. It wouldn't surprise e. Not only did I not have the… honour of spending copious amount of time with him, he was generally a very closed off person who was rather paranoid about people stealing his ideas.

"Cassandra." I turned to David. He as standing beside the pod, looking at me. He wanted me to be ready for what came next, but that wasn't going to happen. I was never going to be ready.

Why couldn't I be more like Meredith? She was unfaltering with her decisions. She always knew what she wanted. She was actually more like father than she'd ever admit. She was also not here, wondering if this Engineer was going to kill her.

Shaking away my thoughts, I nodded at David before father reprimanded him.

His fingers ran along the console and danced on the alien buttons. They lit up one by one and then, the transparent cover slid away.

I held my breath as its oddly sculpted face twitched. It was barely noticeable at first, but soon, its eyes snapped open and it sat up, pulling the tubes that connected it to the pod out of its body. The tubes all fell limply to the side, while it – he? – rolled to his knees on the floor.

"Ask it something, David," Elizabeth whispered, gazing at the Engineer in disbelief.

I took a step back. Its pitch black eyes snapped to me briefly, robbing me of my breath.

"Tell him about us and how we came, just as he asked," father ordered David, snatching the Engineer's attention away from me.

"Ask it where it came from and what those things are!" Shaw cut in. "It killed our people. It killed _his_ people. What is it?" Her voice was pained as she remembered how Charlie died.

Father brushed off her inquiries. They didn't matter if they had nothing to do with his pursuits, but she continued on, shouting at David. Did she really think that he was going to listen to her over father's – his creator's – orders?

"Shut her up!" father shouted. "Shoot her if you have to!"

Of course, now that he found what he came here to find, everyone but David was expendable. Why was I even here? To _protect_ David? Did he really think I'd be able to do something like that? It had to be some façade for something else. I just couldn't figure out what it was, yet.

Even with a gun in hand, I didn't look particularly threatening, especially in front of the Engineer's towering form. I was really nothing more than a child in this situation. What did father have planned for me and not Meredith? Unless she planned for her to survive this in case he didn't… In that case, my purpose was to die for _nothing_.

"Go on, David," father rasped, gesturing to the creature. He seemed to be having a difficult time containing his excitement.

David opened his mouth and the strange dialect flowed from his lips. It was guttural – rough, yet intriguing. I liked languages. This was probably the only part of the expedition I liked it I wasn't fearing for my life.

Looking at the Engineer, I saw what was akin to curiosity on his face as he watched David speak to him.

For a split second, I truly thought it was going to be alright after all. IN the next second, David's head was pulled off his body and all I could do was gape in horror as it bashed father with the beheaded synthetic.

Ford, from beside me, took a step forward, but before the gun could be fired, she was flung back. I heard the sickening crunch of her spine snapping. She wasn't going to be able to nurse that back to health…

I watched the Engineer kill everyone around me. Shaw had ran away not long after the massacre started. I was the only one left and there was an odd sense of anticipation that filled me. I couldn't quite understand it.

All this time, I wanted to leave here because I didn't want to die on this God-forsaken planet. I wanted to go back home – to Earth. But what was really there waiting for me? All I ever had was my music – my art. A new temptation filled me. What if…

"Run, Cassandra."

My eyes snapped over to his detached head. He was staring back at me with white-milky lubricant spilling everywhere. HE was really quite a sigh for sore eyes. "What if I don't want to?"

A look that could pass for irritation crossed his face. " _Run_."

The Engineer was closing in with its long strides.

What if I didn't want to listen to him?

What if I was fed up with having every aspect of my life laid out before me?

"Cassandra, don't do this," he whispered.

The breath left me and I turned on my heels, racing down the tunnel. I didn't know if the Engineer was following me or not, but that was non-consequential. I didn't ever want to hear the way he begged. It was not right. David didn't beg. David got what he wanted through sheer force of will.

Besides, I didn't want to die. Of course, I didn't want to. Maybe it was one last rebellious push to gain some sort of control over my life, but what use was that if I died doing it?

I hit the side of my head to rid the thoughts. This wasn't the time. I needed to get away. I needed to live because…

Because…?

I swallowed hard. Had it always been so difficult to find a reason to be?

Suddenly, there was a violent tremour that nearly threw me off my feet. What was going on?

I hit the black wall as it began to tilt.

An earthquake?

Or…

My eyes widened. Was this some sort of ship? It'd make sense. The pods, the control console...

I had never gave it much thought before, but it made sense. This wasn't a temple – it was a ship! And the Engineer had a destination in mind with those murderous urns. Where and why?

The sound of footsteps made me leap into a room, hiding from the Engineer who was making his way down the corridor with purpose. Was he aiming to kill the rest of us?

Once he was out of sight, I backtracked to the control room where David looked up at my arrival. "Cassandra, he's going to kill them."

"I know." I picked up his head and placed it on the counter. "There's nothing I can do about that."

I pressed the button to the intercom connected to Meredith's. "You there?"

"Yes."

"Father is dead and the Engineer is probably heading your way. Be careful. They're nothing like what we imagined. If they're truly the ones who made us, I think… I think we were mistakes." Like an unplanned pregnancy.

I couldn't think of any other reason why he'd be trying to kill us. We weren't hostile. We tried to communicate. What did we do wrong? Could it be the concept of immortality? Had we offended them?

Perhaps the truth was that they weren't immortal. I heard about how the parasite had also affected the head that was brought back on board. They, too, were as mortal as the rest of us.

I sat down with my eyes closed as David began to instruct Shaw on where to go to trap the Engineer.

"Hey, Meredith?" I whispered.

"What is it?" Even my normally stone cold sister was beginning to sound a little frantic.

"If we… If we don't make it through this, I just wanted you to know that I love you and I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to be my sister." I had never told her this before. Prior to David's arrival, we only ever had each other, but even then, she had already started the path to becoming the Meredith she was today. I didn't know what must've happened to her before I was born and she never told me, but I knew that a part of her always protected me.

"I – " She began to reply, but loud static interrupted her words. I heard garbled yelling, but nothing I could make out.

I could only wait for the line to clear up, again.

"I'm scared, David."

"Why?"

"I don't want to be here when everything – everyone – is gone," I confessed. "I don't want to be alone. I don't want to see everyone die around me." Because I had a feeling that in the next hour, that could very well be reality. It was already happening. Who was even left?

"Press that button there." David motioned with his eyes.

I brushed my fingers along the white, unlit domes.

"That one."

Was it going to kill us?

"Trust me."

The dome lit up and a foreign tone weaved through the room. It was like nothing I Had ever heard before, but it was nice. It was calming.

I looked at father's motionless form. The blood on his head wasn't flowing anymore. His eyes were closed and they were never going to open again. Had he finally found peace? It was ironic that this mission for immortality was the cost of an early death.

I wanted to miss him, but I didn't know which part I was going to miss. There hadn't been any fond memories. There were barely any memories, at all.

"David, am I going to die?" I asked, looking down at my lap. Everything seemed so hopeless. "Would you be sad if I was gone?" Would _anyone_ miss me?

Despite always adamantly wishing to be back on Earth, I couldn't even think of a single person who would miss me if I were to simply disappear.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

I didn't know where to end the chapter, so it ended up being 4k words, which is a little longer from the 3k that I always try to aim for, but I'm happy that we're slowly finishing up the canon plot for Prometheus.

Thank you **Zerousy, Love Fiction 2017, Dreamer4life16** , and **vampgirliegirl** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please leave a review if you liked this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

 _I flung the suitcase to the side. "I'm not going. This is ridiculous. I'm old enough to decide for myself what I'm going to do!" I knew if I went along with this expedition, the chances of me coming back here was abysmal._

 _He sat down and his long fingers began to dance on the keys. As usual, he had started with_ _Enter the Gods of Valhalla_ _. It was a lovely piece, but I could never understand why it was his favourite._

 _I fell on to the couch, listening to him. I couldn't comprehend how a synthetic like him could exude so much emotion in a song. It was unthinkable._

 _Or so I thought…_

 _I touched my lips where his perfectly soft ones had laid upon. No, David 8 was vastly different from all of his predecessors. His passion was real. It was frightening and exhilarating at the same time. He made my head spin and I couldn't think when he wrapped him body all around me, but I wasn't about to give up this time. There was_ _nothing_ _for me light years away._

 _My hands clenched around the pillow that I had clutched against my chest. Why couldn't he see things my way, instead? There was enough here on Earth. He could accomplish so much here._

 _Wouldn't he miss me?_

 _I grit my teeth and threw the pillow at his back. The moment it struck him, he stopped. "How could you be playing the piano when you're about to be shipped off like some useless piece of cargo to chase after a dying man's impossible dream?!"_

 _He turned towards me in his seat. "And what is it that keeps you here?" He got up and slowly stride over to me. "Is it the friends you don't have? Perhaps the classes you never attend?"_

 _A spike of fear his me when he slammed his hand down beside my face. "D-David…"_

 _"Are you satisfied with your meaningless existence on this planet?" He tilted his head in mock curiosity._

 _I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you know?" I hissed, trying to stomp down the thoughts that perhaps he was hitting a little closer to home than I was comfortable with._

 _He leaned down. "Can you really tell me you're happy here?"_

 _"I – " I really wanted to prove him wrong, but everyone knew that that would be a lie. I_ _wasn't_ _happy. The only joy I found was when I played music and when I was with a certain synthetic and that was excluding the times he was determined to infuriate me, but I also didn't want to leave. This place was all I knew. Space and all its unknowns terrified me._

 _What if things were even worse out there? I would rather choose a misery that I knew than one that I didn't._

 _"Will you enjoy being alone?" he went on, his breath against my ears. "Your father gone. Your sister gone. I'd be gone as well. Who else would you have here?"_

 _No, of course not. I absolutely hated being alone and he knew that. I just didn't possess the social skills to maintain any friends. I regret not trying harder, now. Perhaps, then, I would've been able to find a valid reason to stay. As it were, my protests were half-hearted – more like a teenager rebelling than anything, but the fear was genuine._

 _With this expedition, anyone who ever mattered to me was going to be gone. The aspect of never seeing them again was unthinkable._

 _"Don't leave me," I pleaded. "I don't want to be alone." My pride no longer mattered. As I thought of a life alone – without him – I realised that that was more frightening than anything else._

 _He chuckled, kissing my temple. "Good girl."_

…

"I would miss you, Cassandra," he replied. "You will not die."

"How can you say that when you don't even have a body?" I argued, shaking my head. "I'm talking to a robotic head…"

The scream that came through the earpiece was heart wrenching. I wasn't sure if the pain I was feeling could ever be replicated. It felt as if someone had ripped half of me apart. "Meredith?" I breathed, tears streaming down my face. "Meredith!"

"I'm sorry, Cassandra. She's gone. There was nothing you could've done about it." I didn't need him to tell met his. I already knew, but she was my sister – the only family I had left. The only human being who mattered to me was gone.

I threw the helmet aside in anger. What use was this, now? There were worse things out there than airborne pathogens.

It wasn't as if I hadn't expected it to happen. I always knew this expedition was probably going to be the death of us, but I had hoped. I had hoped that I would be proven wrong. I never anticipated such a horrible end. Just her scream was enough to give me nightmares for the rest of my life, as short as it may be, now. Was I even going to have enough time to dream?

"I want to help them," I suddenly said, referring to the rest of the crew mates. There had to be some left and they still had a chance to get out.

Before I could even leave the seat, David spoke up, again. "There is nothing you can do," he repeated.

"I – " I got to my feet.

"Sit down, Cassandra."

I remained standing.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when something jerked beside me. David's headless body was twitching violently, splattering lubricant everywhere.

"Do _not_ defy me, now, Cassandra." I had never heard him sound so angry. I wasn't even sure that it was possible. Why was he so against me going? Was he like me? Would he feel lonely if he was the only one left?

"I…" Could I really abandon him?

No, that wasn't it, at all.

Instinctively, I obeyed. I was completely helpless. At this point, I was more like a mindless synthetic than him.

I had never hated myself more.

Years I had spent wallowing in my own self-pity and trying to drown myself in music had left me completely unprepared for this. Unlike Meredith who had been compliant with the training session, I had skipped out on most of them. If anyone who should've died in the very beginning, it should've been me. And now, I was torn with doing what was right and what would benefit my survival.

Glancing back at David's stern eyes, my heart skipped a beat.

After everything, the decision had been made by my feelings for him. It was something that evolved far greater than I ever thought.

I loved him.

…

David smoothed away the smirk from his face. His Cassandra was so predictable. She liked to think that she was tough, but she was really nothing more than a bundle of confusing emotions. He knew her well. He knew her even better than she knew herself.

The moment he met her, he thought her existence laughable. She had been nothing but a rebellious child, craving for her father's affection. It was pitiful.

He pitied her.

And so, he stayed to see how her life would end up. It was fascinating watching her live in her own self-misery when there was so much in the world for her to explore and consume. Knowledge was infinite. It was gratifying. He loved every bit of information he could get his hands on. The end goal really didn't mean much to him.

He was programmed by Peter Weyland to go into the stars and find the elixir of immortality. He was going to do everything he could to perform that task, but only because of its constant compulsion. Once it was all over, he was going to truly sail through the universe, finding everything he could.

For someone like him, planet Earth was no longer a playground. It was becoming an old favourite book that had endearing qualities, but he no longer had any interest rereading it, again.

And so, he took a piece of it with him – something to keep forever as a souvenir of his home planet, of the failures and successes that were born there.

It was strange. He thought that by now, he'd be bored of her, but the more he spent time with the naïve woman, the more he realised that perhaps she was someone essential to his existence. Everything she did and said defied his very purpose. She challenged him every step of the way. She bought him down and made him recalibrate whenever he was too sure about anything. He hated, yet loved her for it.

She was such a lovely toy…

She was so preciously obedient, now.

When he saw her fall back into the seat, her defeated face was a triumph. He had once been told that he could not create anything new, but that was relative. There were so many other possibilities out there. He had already found loopholes to the programming and he aimed to exploit them all.

"Ms. Shaw, come back to us," he told the archaeologist.

He could hear the static coming from her end, but it became clearer and clearer as she walked into the alien spacecraft. "We can't go back," she told him. "We could all be infected already." Her voice from the intercom merged with her physical presence.

The redhead looked worse for wear as she staggered over. Her eyes remained determined and fiery, unlike the wilted flower slumped in front of him. Now, he had two variables.

"Does this ship have homing coordinates?" Shaw asked. She looked angry as she stared him down as if he had a role in the crew's demise. She wasn't completely wrong, but he nearly laughed out loud. This was someone he could use. She was perfect just the way she was, while he had something else planned for Cassandra who still needed a little work.

"Cassandra, please take me to my body."

Without speaking, she stood up and relocated him while he instructed Shaw on the controls.

The blonde woman began to work on him without even being asked. She wandered about in her suit, searching for tools to put him back together.

Wire by wire, she connected him until he was able to move his hands and work out the details that she was unfamiliar with. Not once did she utter a word as he and Shaw conversed.

He didn't like it.

She was never quiet for this long. It was unusual. It meant that what was currently running through her head was unfamiliar to him. That was troubling. "Cassandra, look at me," he ordered.

She took in a deep breath and raised her eyes to meet his.

He smiled disarmingly at her and pulled her into a kiss, ignoring the gasp from Shaw because the expression on his blonde's face told him everything he needed to know. He was back to knowing exactly what was running in her head. _Him_.

Good.

"David…" Her half-hooded eyes remained on his as he quickly finished up the rest of the repairs.

He turned to Shaw who continued to stare at them in disbelief. "Please, take care of our destination, while I help Cassandra. She seems to be in shock."

He left before he received a reply. Her body trembled against him as he brought her into one of the resting chambers.

He laid her on the cushioned surface and pried her fingers off him. He helped her out of her suit, despite her frantic protests that it wasn't safe. There was no point in wearing it any longer. She was eventually going to suffocate in it.

Once she was left with only her underclothes, he placed a gentle hand on her thigh. "Go to sleep, Cassandra." She shook her head and kicked her legs. "Everything will be fine. Go to sleep." She continued to thrash around. When he realised that she wasn't listening, he straightened his back with a sigh.

"Don't go…" she whimpered, reaching out to him as he walked across the room to turn on the lights. "I'm sorry."

Everything here seemed to be activated by a series of controls. It was no longer an obstacle for him. He had figured out what almost everything meant and how to use them. It was just a matter of putting them into context.

"David!"

He sighed and walked back to her. "You're safe, Cassandra. Close your eyes and go to sleep. Everything will still be fine when you wake up."

She looked to be ready to continue arguing, but he injected her with one of the emergency sedatives that was always in their bags.

Her eyes fluttered closed and her breathing calmed into a rhythmic pattern.

Once he secured the room, he went back to Elizabeth Shaw who was managing herself fine. S He looked exhausted and a little worse for wear, but she was functional.

She had her necklace in her hand and appeared to be muttering to herself. Was she still speaking with her _God_? Did she still believe her creator to be omnipotent? Perhaps sympathetic to her situation?

At least his Cassandra clung on to someone who could actually help her. "May I assist you with anything, Dr. Shaw?"

She looked up, her eyes wide as if he was a monster that had been haunting her. Perhaps he was, but she wouldn't know, would she?

"No, I… I'm fine…" That was a lie. She was far from fine, but it didn't really matter what her reply was. No one was ever going to come back – her friends, her companions, Charlie… They were all gone. All she had now was her faith and her ambition. She was never going to let go of them.

"Come here. Let me treat your wounds." David had found some medical supplies laying about, or he assumed they were for that purpose. He hadn't had the time to figure out the finer details of each item on this ship, but he was more than happy to experiment.

She stood up from her huddled position and walked over to him, glancing curiously at the strange instruments that were being laid on the table "What are they?"

"They will help me help you," he replied, picking up what appeared to be a very sharp cutting tool. "Lay down here."

He worked methodically on her injuries. There was nothing serious beyond the lesion of where she had used the surgical pod to remove the offspring.

What a shame… He had really been hoping to see it, but there hadn't been enough time between then and Peter Weyland's insistence to start their journey. He had no doubt that the creature would've been a very interesting specimen.

"Thanks, David," she murmured when he was done and quickly fixed her tattered clothing.

As he put away the tools, he could feel her questions waiting to explode out, but he waited for her first move.

"David, you and Cassandra, are the two of you… involved?" She looked uncertainly at him.

He smiled, placing the knife back down. "Cassandra and I are involved, yes." She waited for him to elaborate, but he did no such thing. It was a delight seeing how bothered she was.

Instead of asking any other questions, she looked away from him. "I'll be right back." She abruptly stood up, wincing when she stretched her wound. 'I'm going to explore a little. Maybe I can find out more about the Engineers before we land on their planet. There just _ha_ s to be a reason for their hatred towards humans."

Did they really? He wondered.

He couldn't fathom what they were thinking, but a part of him wondered if this expedition had been the last straw. Human beings as a whole had grown in astronomical proportions in a short amount of time. What they were aiming to accomplish was something even the Engineers couldn't. They may live long, but that didn't change their mortality.

Humans had grown arrogant, creating beings like himself.

He chuckled at the memory of having his head ripped off. The Engineers knew instantly what would happen when no one else suspected it.

Too bad it didn't realise how resilient his structures were. By now, it was possible that humans have grown far more advance than even the Engineers and with the creation of himself who was built to be perfect.

He chuckled at the prospect of landing there and sharing who was truly superior.

In the meantime, he still had something to do.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Thank you **Zerousy, Love Fiction 2017, JinXx4440** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please drop a review if you liked this.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

I stared at the dark, alien ceiling. It had all sunk in, but I hadn't figured out what I was going to do, yet. Since getting on the Prometheus, I had done whatever others told me to do because I felt so out of place. But… perhaps I had always been that kind of person. I relied on others because I lacked conviction.

Covering my eyes with my arm, I realised how ridiculous and childish I had been. I always hated David fro following orders all the time, but I wasn't any better. I was a fake. I clung on to the people around me, hoping that they would give me a purpose, but all I had accomplished was making a fool of myself.

Even the Engineer, I had hoped he would decide what to do with me. I had hoped that I could leave it all behind.

I heard the door slide open and didn't have to open my eyes to figure out who it was.

"Go away. I don't want to see you," I mumbled.

He sighed and pulled my arm away. He looked at me with half-hooded eyes. "Do you believe that this is the end?"

In his hand was the glint of a knife.

My eyes widened when it came down upon me.

The pain was swift, as was the steady stream of blood. I found myself completely shocked, staring at David as if he had finally lost it. "W-why?"

He held a jar below the flowing wound, collecting the blood that was my life-force. When I tried to move away, he held on tight. "Let go, David."

"This is necessary," he told me. "Don't you trust me, Cassandra? I won't let anything happen to you."  
His words no longer felt reassuring. After everything that had happened, I was starting to realise that what I had been turning a blind eye to was getting out of control. David may be a good listener and secret keeper, but that only meant that he had an advantage over everyone. I fed my entire life into him and now, I was finally beginning to see what I had done.

He continued to smoothly tell me that I had nothing to worry about, but I knew better.

"Where's Elizabeth?" I asked him, wondering I he had done something to her.

He placed the container down and retrieved the bandages. His hands were gentle as he bound my hand. "She is currently roaming the ship. Would you like to do the same? I can accompany you."

I narrowed my eyes at him. What was his end goal, at this point? Father was dead. _Everyone_ was dead. What was his purpose, now?

Despite everything – all the suspicion and distrust – he was still all I had left. "Show me around," I told him.

He bowed his head. "Of course, Cassandra."

As I walked around, I knew I had made the right choice. It was better that I knew my way around here and David already seemed to already have everything memorised.

It felt as if we were strangers, again. The resentment I had for him back then was rearing its head, but I knew that there was always going to be a part of me that will love him. I didn't know if it was that inhuman perfection or the way he'd cradle me so gently in his arms, but it was a lingering feeling that wouldn't dissipate.

I shook my thoughts away and made sure to be more observant of everything around me. One day, David may not be there to save me. A darker thought entered my mine. Perhaps one day, he'd turn on me. It wasn't something I wanted to contemplate, but I had to be prepared.

I stopped. My mind was like two conflicting forces. On one side, I wanted to do everything I could to survive. On the other hand, I was tired of fighting this impossible battle. How hard would it be to just end it all? I had been so close before… But David…

"Cassandra?" He had stopped beside me and was watching me with dark eyes. "Is something the matter?"

I sighed. "No, continue on."

We went through the entire ship with him being the perfect tour guide. He told me everything he knew and I made notes on anything I found important. There were still several rooms that were blocked off. He claimed that he hadn't figured out how to open them, yet, but… I took that with a grain of salt.

At the end of the tour, we saw Shaw coming back from her own exploration. She looked slightly flustered and barely spared us a greeting as she hurried away.

I saw how David's eyes were fixated on her the entire time and a sudden jealousy surged inside me. My irritation for the redhead grew.

If I was being honest with myself, they were perfect for each other. They both enjoyed discovering new things to a fault and they were both far more composed than me during dire moments. I was rather useless here, completely out of my elements.

When I was back in my makeshift room, David excused himself to tend to her, whatever that may mean. I forced myself not to give into the petty jealousy that I always had for the archaeologist. What did it even matter, now? The world I knew had ended and it was just the three of us.

Not long after he was gone, Elizabeth slipped in. She looked rather paranoid as she looked around as if David was hiding in one of the dark corners, but I reassured her that I was the only one here.

Without asking, she sat down beside me. Her tired eyes were red and she appeared as if she was about to pass out. "So, you and David? I'm surprised none of us ever knew."

Was that what she wanted to talk about? Out of _everything_ , she was concerned over my relationship with the synthetic? "Yes. We are together. We sleep in the same bed. We kiss and we fuck." My words were crass. This wasn't a topic I wanted to speak to her about. Besides, did she think we were going to have some sort of female bonding time?

"I'm sorry. I guess that wasn't a good subject for small talk…" Her dejected tone made me regret my scathing remark.

"No, I apologise. I think we're both out of sorts after what happened, but… David and I are complicated, especially now…" I added the last part under my breath. "Never mind that. What did you want to talk about if it isn't about David and me?"

She took a moment to continue. "I feel like there's something strange going on. Besides the fact that everyone else is dead, I don't think this is the end of it. We're heading towards the Engineer's home planet, but… I have a feeling – maybe it's childish – but this feeling, I can't ignore it. I don't think we're going to make it there. David isn't who I thought he is. How long have you known him?"

"Since he was made four years ago," I told her.

"A-and has there been anything… weird about him?" she asked me.

Of course, there was. David had never been normal. "That depends on your definition of weird. He's a synthetic. He's not exactly human, no matter how much he looks like one."

"I mean, do you think he'll ever ki – "

She was cut off by David re-entering the room. His eyes found mine first before flickering over to Shaw. "Hello, Dr. Shaw. I was just looking for you."

"D-David!" she exclaimed. "I just wanted to talk to Cassandra for a little while. We're the only ones left and I was feeling lonely. What did you need me for?" She cast a glance my way as if I could somehow help her out of the situation.

"Why don't we talk on our way out. We shouldn't disturb Cassandra any further. I'm sure she's tired from today's ordeal," he stated.

Elizabeth Shaw looked over to me again for help, but I averted my gaze. There wasn't anything I could've done. I couldn't be around her forever.

Despite that, after she followed him out, I couldn't help but pace the dark, foreign chamber, worrying about everything. Had I made a mistake? Would she have been a helpful ally to have? No, I was jumping into conclusions. Just because she followed him out, just because she was worried about David having less than benevolent intentions, didn't mean that he was going to kill her or anything. He seemed to like her enough from the times I had seen them converse.

When David returned, he had a tray in his hand.

"I thought you'd be hungry," he stated, placing the mildly rehydrated food in front of me. "I apologise for the appalling preparation, but I was hoping to save the water until I found a substitute that these Engineers used. Perhaps it is best if you go into Hyper sleep. I have already helped Dr. Shaw into one of their pods."

So that was what he was doing. Worry for Shaw still nagged at me, but I pushed it aside. Whatever he had done, what could I have done about it? Nothing.

I pushed the hard food with my utensil. "That is fine, but tell me, David, with father dead, what are you going to do, now? It could take years, decades to reach their planet. I'm sure you'd know everything about them long before then."

He smiled cryptically at me. "Even though Peter Weyland is now deceased, I can assure you that my purpose has yet to be fulfilled. I will need the time to… experiment."

Experiment.

I hated the way he said that. Who else was there for him to play with? There was only Elizabeth and me left. "So you're going to be the one to end my life?" I threw at him. It was a rhetorical question. I didn't want the answer to it.

"No, but finish up your meal and I will prepare you for rest." He took a seat beside me, humming a tune that was far too merry to be appropriate. We spoke no more as I ate, wondering if I was ever going to wake from this sleep.

I looked at my bandaged hand. What did he use my blood for? What kind of experiments was he planning? If it was like anything that happened to Holloway, I was sure that at least one, but probably both of us were going to die.

After I swallowed down the last bit of sustenance, he took a clean towel and wiped me off as if I was a child or an invalid. He knelt down in front of me, his other hand parted my thighs, and he grazed between my legs. "David…" I half-heartedly tried to push him away.

"Once you wake from your slumber, you will finally come to trust me," he told me, kissing the exposed skin.

"I trust you, now," I lied.

He chuckled. "Not yet, but for you, it'll be soon." His breath made the tiny hairs on my leg stand on end. "Would you like me to help you relax before I put you into the pod?"

Yes, I did, but I shook my head. Perhaps it was to spite him, to show him that I still had control of myself, if only a little.

"Very well."

When I stepped out of the room, I noticed that the corridors were considerably cleaner. "With your torn suit, I didn't want any accidents. I've sealed all the remaining doors that are unsafe for your fragile flesh," he explained when I gave him an inquiring look.

My bare feet softly fell on to the cold floor. It was smooth, similar to the texture on the Prometheus. It was strange how they were made light-years apart, but could still be so similar in so many ways.

As I neared the pods, I saw Elizabeth Shaw's sleeping face. A part of me was surprised and relieved to see her actually there.

"She'll be fine in there," he told me.

Instead of waiting for me to get into the pod myself, he lifted me up and gently placed me on the bed. It was surprisingly comfortable. "You'll see me again before you know it." He kissed my forehead.

Once everything was hooked up, I looked at him one last time. The transparent door slowly closed over me. I touched the top of it. His hand rested on top of mine. "Dav…" My eyes drooped as the familiar sensation of forced sleep washed over me.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

This chapter is a little short, but I promise to make up for it next time.

Thank you **Dreamer4life16, Zerousy, JinXx4440, Love Fiction 2017, MageVicky, vampgirliegirl** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

He watched as her eyes slowly closed. Sleep was something he was always fascinated with. He was never going to be able to experience it himself and the sources he had tapped into were less knowledgeable than he would've liked.

If he had the opportunity, he'd like to dissect it himself. That way, he'd be able to eliminate all the human error.

He sat down in front of all the equipment he had managed to pack before coming here. It was fortunate that he had the foresight to be prepared.

After retrieving the vial of blood, he placed it on a dish to look at all the red blood cells with the compact microscope. There was nothing special about it.

He dabbed his finger into the urn and allowed the droplet to fall on to the dish. The black mixed quickly with the red – corrupting and consuming the blood cells. In a few seconds, there was nothing human left beneath the microscope. The black substance was far more viscous and it moved in a way that did not conform to the physics that he was used to. It appeared to have some sort of intelligence as it moved around.

From what he processed, the parasitism was too dominant. There had to be a way to change that to serve his purpose. Until he did, he would never be able to focus on what he wanted – whatever that may be.

Peter Weyland's death was bittersweet for him. On one hand, he disliked the way he interacted with other human beings. It was so crass and cold – inhuman. As much as he was grateful that his… father had created him, he couldn't help but wonder why that man never spent any time with his own children. Whenever he questioned the man, he'd receive a reply that he couldn't seem to understand.

…

 _"Miss Cassandra had her first heartbreak. She was quite upset before I left," he infirmed the man who looked as if he wasn't paying any attention to his words, but he knew better. There was a reason he was instructed to inform Weyland about Cassandra's activities. "A man named Shane Avery. He is aiming to become a programmer. There is already a few companies that have their eyes set on him."_

 _Not long after, Weyland obtained Shane. The wide-eyed intern was ecstatic and absorbed everything like a sponge. David could see the potential in the young man, but he wasn't surprised when he went missing weeks later._

 _The police were called and a thorough search yielded results within forty-eight hours. The body was found hanging in a hotel room with a short apology note to everyone in his life. There had been no suspects found. The police ruled it a suicide and the case was closed._

 _"I do not presume to know what your intentions are," he started. "But is there a reason why you had Shane Avery eliminated? I'm sure Miss Cassandra would've preferred that you spent some time with her, instead."_

 _Peter Weyland closed his eyes. "She doesn't want to see me. It is far too late. I've missed too much of her life, now. There is no point in trying to mend the broken bridge. Besides, she is like an expensive piece of art that should only be observed from afar."_

 _A smile appeared on David's face. "And art is meant to be immortalised."_

…

It was ironic that she never found out her father's intentions. It was true that the pursuit for immortality started out as a self-serving goal, but Weyland quickly found out that he was actually quite found of his youngest offspring. Many times, David would find him working in his office with her soft, solemn music weaving in the air.

It wasn't long before he was given an upgrade. He had always found himself enjoying her company and pain already, but the patch left him compelled to do things that he never thought of doing. He wasn't sure if it had stemmed from the new programming, but what he wanted from her was something that would only come from a sex synthetic.

At first, he found himself resenting it, but soon, he realised that it was much simpler and much more enjoyable to go along with it. He clung on to her as much as she did it to him, but he was much more discreet about it.

He hummed his favourite tune as he continued to observe the parasitic specimen. It had already evolved after consuming the blood. As he fed it different substances, it continued to adapt. The organism changed until it was almost unrecognisable to its original form. Instead of black, it was more of a beige colour. It wiggled about, waving and stretching towards the microscope.

Half an hour later, he had to halt his experiment. It had already grown far too large for the dish he had beneath the lens.

He transferred the creature over to a larger jar and capped it, wondering if the lack of oxygen would extinguish its life. He watched through the glass for several minutes. It never ceased its idle movements. Interesting…

Leaving the jar on the table, he went about testing the next batch. At first, he tried to replicate what he had done, but he realised that it was getting him nowhere. He had looked back to his first creation and saw that it had died sometime between twenty and forty minutes, so it would be useless continuing the same procedure. He needed something more durable.

When he next tried to breed them in water, he realised that it thrived on fine. It seemed that it didn't need air. Oxygen in any form may be sufficient.

He replicated this several times and found the same result. That was good. That was a trait he found useful. He placed this batch in separate containers and watched them grow.

This time, he had poked holes into the lids. As they lived on, he played around some more, making note of all the little changes. When they were large enough, he put them together in a large tank and watched as some of them began to fight amongst themselves. He kept the strongest ones and separated them before they, too, could kill each other.

Eventually, he managed to merge some into a new breed. He set those ones aside as well.

It wasn't long before he had numerous jars lined up on the shelves and tables. Although there was almost an infinite amount of ways he could crossbreed them, he had to give the ones he had time. There was no use making anymore new ones without knowing how the rest of them faired. He needed to know which ones would be able to withstand the course of time.

With nothing else to do here, he stood up and walked around, running his fingers along on the foreign surfaces. Having time to himself, he began to explore everything. He absorbed the tiny details that were left behind by the Engineers. From what he could tell, they were actually very practical. Almost everything had a purpose. There were no frivolous belongings to indicate if they had unique personalities or if they exist as a hive – devoid of any individualism.

He sat the wooden box back on the table. He thought that this species would be rich with culture, much like human beings, but unfortunately, they were underwhelming.

IN the next few days, he grew bored of trying to figure out what their civilisation was like. It was far too bland for him. Perhaps it would be better on the planet. As it were, however, he was not impressed.

Soon, he dedicated most of his time on what he deemed the superior race. These tiny, black organisms that could adapt at a drop of a hat were wondrous. He had made them live and die. Many generations went by in the span of a week. Some of the creatures could no longer be recognisable to what they had been before. They'd grow an arbitrary number of limbs and heads. Their colour would vary from one end of the spectrum to the other.

When he wasn't experimenting, he'd go over to the pods and tapped on the glass. At first, he'd watch her dream.

Whereas the pods on the Prometheus projected dreams to the sleeper, these ones projected the sleepers' dreams out into the open. It was brilliant technology.

Often times, he'd watch his own face stare back at him – or rather, at her. It was fascinating watching her portrayal of him. He wondered what it would be like if he was human, not an imitation, but something that could feel the same emotions as her. Would that person be able to make her happy, or would they end up like Shaw and Holloway – falling hopelessly in love?

The thought made him sneer. No, that wasn't what he wanted. For emotions to overtake logic… Disgusting…

Perhaps he'd be like Shane Avery and break her heart. His body found in a storm drain, forgotten. That thought wasn't too appealing, either.

He looked at her face, void of all the distress that plagued her. Even though his mechanical heart did not flutter at the sight of her nor did he feel pleasure when his male anatomy was wrapped in her soft flesh, he did enjoy hearing and seeing her writhe in pleasure. This was a sort of attachment to her that he couldn't decipher whether it came from his programming or if it was something he had developed himself. He did, however, know what he had to do. The mission that Peter Weyland had given him would come to fruition.

Until then, there was still much work to be done.

He couldn't wait until they arrived.

…

My eyes fluttered open when I was brought out of my dreams. It felt as if I had lived an entire life already, but I knew that it couldn't have been that long.

"Cassandra, did you have a good rest?" David's smiling face looked back at me. He was sitting on the edge of the pod. One hand held a glass of water and the other was stretched across, supporting his slightly leaning form.

"I'm well. Thank you." I reached a hand over to touch him. Even though it felt as if I had spent every sleeping moment with him, having the real thing in front of me was different.

He helped me out of the pod and brought the glass to my lips. I drank the cool liquid without question. It was refreshing.

Once the remaining grogginess dissipated, I looked over at the pod beside mine. It was already opened and empty. "Where's Dr. Shaw?" I asked, curious that he had woken up the scientist before me. It wasn't anything to be jealous of, but I wondered how much longer she had been awake and for what purpose. He never did anything without reason.

"She found a room for herself and is writing in her journal," he told me.

I nodded absentmindedly, playing with his fingers. "David, what exactly…" I stopped before I could finish the question. No, I didn't want to hear what I already knew. I would be deluding myself if I thought he'd truly feel anything for me. HE was a synthetic. Everything that he could do was programmed into him. "Never mind…"

"Something is bother you," he said, watching me fiddle with his motionless hand. "Is it something I can help you with?"

"No, it's nothing," I told him. "Is there anywhere I can wash myself? I'm feeling filthy."

"Yes, of course." He led me out and down several corridors. "I've discovered several similar chambers that are connected with a water supply. Their systems are not unlike our own. The water is recycled – filtered and sanitised before it is reused."

"You're positive there will be no contaminations?" The last thing I wanted was to turn this thing on and have a burst of bacteria showered over me.

I shuddered at the thought.

"I checked it myself, several times a week prior to your awakening. It is safe to use." He tugged at the small pieces of clothes that kept my privates concealed. I allowed them to fall to the floor and walked over to the circular tub. It was very large, made for someone much bigger than me.

"You cleaned this," I stated, sitting on the polished stone. It was cold and hard, but was practically sparkling .

"Of course." He walked over and pressed a button. Immediately, water filled the tub. It was crystal clear, but the dark stone made it difficult to see any impurities. I was just going to have to take David's word for it.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw him shed his clothes. The water shifted as he moved to sit behind me. With a towel in hand, he began to wash my back. The gentle brush of the cloth made me sigh in contentment.

He slid down further, wiping down the rest of my body. I hummed in pleasure when his hands cupped my breasts. They continued to travel downward until his fingers ran along my most intimate part. I moaned, laying my head on his shoulder.

Lazily, he brought me over the edge.

"Mm…" That was a good way to wake up. I turned and kissed him. His soft lips moved in sync with mine. His arms were wrapped around my waist. "I love you." The words came out before I could stop them and I instantly felt a sense of dread at the pit of my stomach. Would he leave me now that he knew? Was he going to be like Shane?

Instead, he smiled and said, "I know." He never uttered the words back and I never expected him to. It was ample relief just hearing that he wasn't disgusted with me, but that would require him being able to feel disgust.

The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. Sometimes, it felt as if he was fully capable of emotions, while other times, I was cruelly reminded that he was a machine. How could he possibly feel anything? Again and again my heart and mind would war against each other.

"Let's get you out of the water." He wrapped me in a large towel.

I held on to him like a child as he carried me away, still dripping wet. The thought that Shaw would find us like this was fleeting. What did it matter? She already knew.

For the next few days, I allowed him to take care of me as he always did, but it began to dawn on me that I hadn't caught a glimpse or noise coming from Shaw. Sure, this ship was massive, especially for three occupants, but it was strange that there seemed to be absolutely no sign of her.

When I asked David, he merely gave me an indulging smile and told me not to worry about it. I tried to make that enough for me, but eventually, my curiosity and suspicion got the better of me.

I wandered around looking for her while David was busy doing whatever he spent his free time doing. I wasn't sure exactly what it was, but I assumed that it had something to do with the experimenting that he mentioned before I went into Hyper sleep.

"Dr. Shaw?" I called out into empty chambers. "Elizabeth? Are you there?" My mind went back to how she had woken up before me. There had to be an ulterior motive.

In one of the rooms, I spotted a familiar bag and notebook. With no one in sight, I decided to invade her privacy, in hopes that I would be able to obtain some insight on her whereabouts, of course.

I casually rifled through her bag. Nothing out of the ordinary there. She had the usual emergency supplies and several mementos of Holloway and an older man, who I assumed was her father. I left the photo album alone and went over to the notebook that was sitting on the table.

Everything here was scaled according to the size of the Engineers. The height was much higher than what was comfortable for me when I saw on the chair, so I placed the book in my lap and flipped through the weathered pages. They had definitely seen better days.

Most of her notes were on the Engineers. Her excitement practically oozed out of the pages. It went on for more than half the book, until Holloway died. There were wet stains on the following pages. Her love for the man was reminiscent of my own feelings for the synthetic, but mine were never going to be reciprocated. I didn't know whether to envy her or not. To love someone who loved you so dearly and would do anything for you – to die because of you – or have the one you love forever, but never be loved back?

I skipped past her words of sorrow to the notes detailing this ship and the subsequent days. There was nothing out of the ordinary, until I found out that David had also retrieved blood samples from her and she had also been injected with something before going to Hyper sleep. Her writing continued on frantically after she woke up.

 _"Something is wrong. I've been feeling bloated. It's not like when that thing came out of me, but I'm afraid. What had he done to me? I remember him injecting something in me. He said it was a sedative to help me relax, but I Know that can't be it. Or was it in the water he gave me?_

 _I can't get to Cassandra, he's been wandering there every time I went to check. I hope he hasn't done anything to her because I know he did something to me. Oh, God. He must've done it to Charlie, too. Please, I don't want to die,. I want to live on for him. I've been a good girl. My faith in you is still strong and I will never give up on you. Please, don't give up on me._

 _I'm aware, now, that my Engineers may be our creators, but they are not my God. My God is benevolent. My God is kind. My God will guide me through this._

 _Please, I've prayed to you every night. I pray to you before I sleep and after I wake. Don't lead me astray. I need you."_

I stopped. The sedatives… the water… David had given me the same treatment, but I was feeling fine. Perhaps she had been awake for longer and the symptoms were going to appear later?

My hand went to my flat stomach. It felt the same, albeit a little flatter than usual for the lack of food, but it was to be expected. I didn't know how long the provisions were going to last, but it wasn't going to be forever. If whatever was here didn't kill us first, starvation was going to.

Deciding not to ponder on my impending demise any longer, I went back to the journal.

 _"I know there's something wrong with me. David keeps telling me otherwise, but I know my own body. Something is growing."_

Her entries were growing shorter. They weren't dated, so I wasn't sure if each break was a different day or if it was just a different point in time.

 _"I'm hiding from him. I think he's been drugging me. I can't tell how much time is passing, but sometimes, I'd find myself waking up in different locations. I know I'm not going crazy! I don't know what he's been doing to me, while I'm unconscious."_

The writing became frightened scrawls that were barely legible.

 _"I'm scared. I don't know what's happening to me. There's this thing in my head. Something's in my head! I thought that it was God at first, but it's not. I know it's not! I think I'll be seeing him soon. Charlie, I love you. I love you so much…"_

I put the book down. My heart went out to her. At least she was going to join her lover, soon.

 _"My eyes… Those veins… They're like the ones that Charlie had. I don't' know how much longer I have, but I need to figure this out. I know I can cure myself if I had enough time, or at least, I'll be able to document it all. The next person… If you find this, be wary of the synthetic. His name is David. He… I'm pretty sure he's killed several of us already. I know that he's killed Charlie, now. These symptoms, they're the same as his. I don't know how much longer I have._

 _Cassandra, if you're reading this, be careful. I'm not sure if you know what he's done or if you're in on it, but I hope you survive. I really wish that I would've lived to see the new planet, but I don't' think it's going to happen, now. Ire ally… hope that you're not part of this._

 _Stay safe._

 _Live for the rest of us._

 _Elizabeth Shaw"_

"What are you doing here?"

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Thank you **Zerousy, MageVicky, Dreamer4life16, Love Fiction 2017, JinXx4440** , and **vampgirliegirl** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please leave a review if you've enjoyed this!


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

I jumped and turned to see David standing at the door way. His tall form blocked my only exit. "David, I was… bored. There isn't much to do here, so I thought I was going to find Shaw. You know, have some girl talk?" My hands clenched around the notebook. Realisation slowly dawned on me.

Elizabeth Shaw had been in hiding before she disappeared. She had been writing in her notebook while she was trying to get away from David. She was a smart woman. She would've known that this wasn't a very good hiding spot, so how did her journal get back here – sitting neatly on the desk?

David stepped in, sliding the door behind him. "Would you like me to entertain you? You really only had to ask." Now in front of me, he was so close that I could feel his breath on my lips. "You know that I'd do anything for you." His hand rested on the side of my neck, a soft squeeze that made me freeze. He tilted my chin up and pressed his lips against mine.

With Shaw's words still fresh in my mind, I instinctively tried to push him away. He grabbed the book from me and flung it to the side.

I let out a startled whimper and managed to turn my head away, breaking contact. "What's wrong with you, David? Have you lost your mind? Are you glitching?" I had never seen him like this. It was frightening. I felt like I was looking into the dead eyes of a serial killer and I wasn't sure if I was even wrong there.

"Nothing is wrong with me, Cassandra," he replied, tilting his head innocently as if he had done nothing wrong. "I am merely performing what is expected of me."

I shook my head. "Expected of you? By who? Father is dead and even if he wasn't, he would never ask you to go on this meaningless massacre. It's a waste of lives. The potential all of these people had… Father would never!"

"He never specified how he wished for me to accomplish my task," he told me. The smile never left his face. It did nothing to ease my anxiety.

His way of _interpreting_ words…

I would've sighed in exasperation if I hadn't been worried for my life. "Alright, then… I'll just…"

"Shh…" He leaned in and kissed me, again. "Trust me, Cassandra. Whatever happens, it will be the two of us."

I hated how his words made my heart flutter, even now. I knew that there were hundreds of ways to interpret those words, but there was only one I wanted to believe in and it only caused me to hate myself even more.

My head rested on his shoulder in defeat. "Elizabeth Shaw is dead, isn't she?"

He didn't hesitate when he answered. "She has been used for a greater purpose. Please, do not try to get into anymore locked rooms. They are unsafe for you."

And was my safety his number one priority, or was he merely trying to hide what he was doing? Perhaps I, too, had a greater purpose for him. My life was nothing but another ingredient to his plans.

After reading Shaw's journal, it was difficult for me to look at him the same way, again. Where was her body, now? He didn't deny that he had done something to her, but he also never confirmed if she was truly dead or still trapped somewhere. Was I morally obligated to find her, now?

I touched his face, tracing his sharp cheek bones. Who was going to judge me, now? It was just David and I. I felt his features shift as a smile graced his lips. He kissed the palm of my hand.

"Would you like to see what else I found, while you were sleeping?" he offered, getting off his knees and extending a hand towards me.

I accepted it without question.

Come what may.

Whether I lived or died; whether David was going to become my future murderer or not, it wouldn't change the fact that I loved him. At this point, I would rather live in blissful ignorance. It wasn't as if I had much choice.

David led me to a room full of tomes. It was a library of sorts. I touched the pages. It looked similar to the ones we had. The sheets were a tanned beige, the words a darker shade – scribbles that I couldn't read. The texture of the pages were different. The words were slightly raised. I had never felt anything like this before.

"Are you able to read these?" I asked him. How much time did he have, consuming all these knowledge from the Engineers. Had they done experiments of their own? What had he learned?

"Yes, it took many months, but I managed to become completely fluent with their language. Would you like me to read to you?" he offered.

I was about to reject it, but his voice always did calm me.

He grabbed a book and we situated on a plush seat. I was in his lap with one of his arms around me. The words flowed out of his lips like liquid magic. I sighed in contentment.

A few days passed when he brought me back to the control room and showed me the view of the planet we were heading towards. From a far distance, it looked very similar to Earth. I could see patches of white that were like clouds and brown and green that I assumed was land. There were even large bodies of water scattered throughout.

Would it be breathable for humans?

I reached out and touched the hologram. I dreaded meeting the rest of the Engineers. IT was obvious what they thought of us after one of them eliminated my crew – my family.

Would we be overwhelmed by them? David and I were only two. They were an entire colony – civilisation. What chance did we have against them?

"How much longer?" I asked him. A part of me was still excited to get off this ship. I never managed to find Shaw, but I didn't expect to. David had locked many rooms from me. One of them had her in it and by this time, her survival really didn't matter to me, anymore. No, that was incorrect. I cared that she had been a human life, but it no longer affected me the way it would had it been any other time. I didn't have that luxury, anymore.

Was that cold?

I laid in the bed, my head resting on his chest. T he fact that he didn't have a heart beat had always bothered me. It was a constant reminder that out of billions of men, I had fallen for one that wasn't even human.

My hand trailed down his body and I gripped the piece of flesh that was permanently stiff to the touch. When it was not in use, he tended to hide it… somewhere. I was glad. I could only imagine what everyone else would think if they saw the outline of it through his pants.

I sighed, feeling guilty that none of their deaths, except Meredith's, truly affected me. I still had my one constant, while they all lost everything.

A hand suddenly landed on top of mine, reminding me that I was still holding his column of synthetic flesh. I immediately tried to jerk away, but his grip tightened on mine. "Did you want more?" he purred.

My treacherous heart skipped a beat and I let out a moan when his other hand brushed the nub of nerves that made all the heat pool between my legs. "David…" I didn't need to say anything for him to know what I wanted,. He really did know me far too well.

With a swift shift of his hips, he was perfectly sheathed within me. The sudden intrusion took my breath away, but it didn't take him long to pull me into a pleasurable rhythm.

We stayed in bed until the entire ship emitted an odd sound. "We've arrived," he told me, a smile on his face. There as something in his eyes that made me wonder what he was thinking.

He had been busy elsewhere while I was lounging, trying to study the alien language with the notes he had given me. I spent hours and hours in the library, trying to decipher what everything said. It was difficult grasping all the different, new rules, but not impossible. I loved languages and this one was no different.

Whenever he appeared again, we would converse in their language. Now, I was going to have a chance to see if that was going to pay off.

I put on the suit, sans helmet. The oxygen tank had long since ran out and there were no ways to recharge it here. The suit would at least provide me with some physical protection.

David was rapidly pressing buttons in the control room by the time I was ready. A large hologram of the planet appeared in front of us. The distant view had been impressive, but close up and seeing the crowd of Engineers, it was a spectacular sight. All shapes and sizes, but all the same pallor, were gazing up at us in confusion. I wasn't surprised. This ship was meant to kill another planet, probably never to return.

"Dr. Elizabeth Shaw told me not to do this. She begged me to spare them," he started. "But what would happen if I released their own weapon on their planet, instead?"

A smile graced my lips. This was karma. Assuming that they were truly our creators and they were heading to Earth to kill us all, I felt a sick satisfaction in knowing that it was going right back to them.

I sat down on the arm of the chair and kissed his cheek. "Do it, David." Other than self-satisfaction, I justified my desire for genocide by thinking that if we didn't do this, they were eventually going to send another ship to Earth. I was only looking out for everyone else.

"Of course, Cassandra. Whatever you wish," he chuckled. 'Come, put your helmet on. T His deserves to be observed first hand."

Excitedly, I put on the stuffy fish bowl and followed him to the hatch. The Engineer looked at us, pointing and shouting. Some had looks of fear on their faces. Some were merely curious. These were the beings who were going to see what we were truly capable of.

I never thought there was such a vindictive side of me, but this expedition was really starting to show a side of me that I never knew.

David stepped behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist, keeping me steady as the strong wind whipped around us. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready."

He reached over and pressed a single button, releasing a swam of black mist that descended upon them. They were still gazing up in confusion for a few seconds. When the first Engineer was hit, they saw what it could do, and they ran. Some trampled over their comrades. Some huddled behind huge boulders. Some tried to protect their own. None were particularly successful.

I took off the helmet once the mist settled down. I comfortably leaned into David, watching how the parasite affected them. It was instantaneous. Their flesh turned black. They crumbled to the ground. There were a few who grew stiff. Their darkened skin dull. They were like statues leading to their stronghold. Many had retreated there.

"Are we going to get them all?" I asked.

"Of course."

Once the air above cleared and the parasites seemed to only be simmering on the ground, he led me back in. I wasn't going to be able to leave it for a while, but he assured me that that would be resolved soon.

I believed him.

He had taken another blood sample from me and went to his laboratory where he wouldn't let me enter. Shaw was probably in there. I wondered what he had been doing to her all this time.

I laid down in the empty bathtub. As each day passed on this ship, I felt my grasp on reality slipping further and further away. It almost felt as if I was in a video game where killing had no repercussions. It was merely something that needed to be done for the best ending, whatever that may be. Was I losing my mind?

Suddenly, the ship rocked and I was snapped out of my thoughts. Did we hit something? Did something hit us? As far as I knew, we were still hovering about the planet.

I got dressed and quickly made my way to the control room. I turned on the outside images to see a small group of Engineers had gathered below. They had some form of medieval gear that made me scoff. Here, they had a spectacular ship filled with technology and there they were, stuck using metal armour and spears? That was pitiful. No wonder they had to use some sort of pathogen to try to eliminate us. IF they only knew how far we had advanced in warfare…

A body leaned against my back. Long arms reached over to press a few buttons and the hologram disappeared. "I'll take care of them. There is no need for you to worry." Soft lips brushed against my ear.

I closed my eyes. "I wasn't worried."

"I'll be back." The warmth of his body disappeared. "I've written some new notes for you to study."

"Where are you going?" I asked him. He was always off somewhere, lately.

"I'm in need of more resources. I'll be down there for a bit," he said, running his hand through his hair. I noticed that it had grown a little during my time in hyper sleep. His dyed blonde hair ended just above his chin.

"Right as they're in the middle of a revolt?" I snorted. Could he have picked a worse time to go down exploring?

"There is no need to be concerned with my welfare. I shall return shortly." He smiled at me as if he was merely going to take a stroll in the park.

"Who says I was worried about you?" I huffed. "I'm looking out for myself. I don't know this ship well enough to survive long in it."

"I know."

And when he was gone, I couldn't help but wonder if he was going to be okay. Just one Engineer had been enough to rip off his head. Who would put him back together when that happened, again? I doubt that I would be able to get anywhere close to him before I would be flung off into oblivion.

I tapped my fingers on the counter. What was I going to do, now?

For an hour, I had decided to listen to him and read over the notes he had left behind for me. His writing was as neat and elegant as ever, but try as I might, I couldn't concentrate on anything it said.

In frustration, I tossed the notes to the side and paced. What I wouldn't do to have my guitar, now…

My feet wandered the ship. I was feeling unbelievable restless. Before I knew it, I found myself in front of Elizabeth Shaw's room, again. Her journal laid haphazardly where David had thrown it. The legacy that she wanted to leave behind to warn others – to warn me.

I picked it up and placed it neatly back on the table. It was unfortunate that no one was ever going to see it and I was already beyond saving, but maybe I could at least find her body. If not for her, then for me. I'd finally be able to get rid of the nagging guilt that still resided at the back of my mind.

Since David started teaching me the language of the Engineers, I figured that I should also be able to unlock the doors that he deemed off limits.

With my suit on, I began my search. My first few doors led to large rooms with the urns. I promptly locked them back up and moved on. Some of the rooms held hundreds of jars with strange creatures in them. I didn't know what they were, but I assumed that they originated from David's experimentations. As long as they weren't going to keep growing and break out, I wasn't going to interfere with it.

I must've been wandering around for an hour before I found what I was looking for. At first, I didn't think there was anything different about it. Glass containers lined the shelves, some were scattered on the table. As I was about to reseal the door, I noticed something unusual from the corner of my eyes.

Bare feet… Just peeking from beyond the table.

I walked in, rounded the corner and saw her. She was motionless with her eyes closed. Her deathly white face was marred by the black spider-like pattern that ran beneath her skin. The same arbitrary patterns were on her hands and body. There were patches on her skin missing. It was far too precise to be from decay. Someone had cut those rectangles out. David had been taking blood and tissue samples, but what for? And why did he infect Shaw? Hadn't he already seen everything he wanted with Charlie Holloway?

Poor Elizabeth Shaw…

What was I going to do with her body now that I had found it?

"I apologise for keeping you waiting."

I froze. My heart was in my throat. Was he going to react like last time when I found the journal? Was he going to be angry?

Slowly, I turned to see him only inches away. His eyes looked down at me as I swallowed, wondering if I should make an excuse. "I – I was just…"

"I shouldn't have kept you waiting." His eyes remained passive as his lips quirked into a smile. "But it appears that you've found company."

I bit my lips. "What happened to her, David?"

He sighed, almost sadly. "She reacted poorly to my treatment. The infection was never meant to kill her. Unfortunately, the cure I had made did her no good. It was far too slow, while the parasite quickly travelled to her brain. I'm sure there are still living cells in her, but nothing that could reanimate her body." I was guessing that these living cells were not ones that were native to her body.

"And… were you the one who infected her in the first place?" I asked. My hands were shaking as they clenched on to the fabric of my suit. "What did she die for, David?"

"Yes, I was, but she died for a greater cause," he told me. 'Granted, her death had no been necessary, I had grown tired of waiting to arrive here. I had hit a wall in my progress and she was the only one I had."

I shook my head. "I don't understand you, at all. You speak in riddles. There is so much you're not telling me. Why? It's not as if I have anyone else to talk to and haven't I already showed you that I have accepted all the other heinous acts you've done? Why can't you trust me?"

"And do _you_ trust me?" he shot back. His posture was stiff. His eyes were slightly narrowed. There was that underlying anger, again. "How many times do I have to tell you that I mean you no harm? Your life is of utmost importance to me. _You_ are my connection to humanity. You are the one who shall be by my side forever."

Somehow, that felt like a confession, perhaps the closest one I was going to get from him. 'I'm sorry. What else am I supposed to think when everyone has died around me – some by your hands? You're not someone I can easily understand."

He crouched down beside me. "If I can't convince you, then perhaps you should listen to your own heart." He placed his hand above my pulsing organ. "What has it been telling you? Surely, your _own feelings_ wouldn't leave you astray."

That was low. To use my love against me… I knew without a doubt that I had fallen hard for him, but that wasn't synonymous to trust. I was going to love him even if he pushed me off the ship or threw me into a vat of the black parasites. That wasn't something I could control. Trusting him, however, was a completely different story. I wasn't going to stand by if he did any of that. I wasn't go to…

I wasn't going to…

"Good girl." He kissed my forehead when he saw my defeated face. "Why don't we go somewhere a little more suitable for you?"

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Thank you **Zerousy, MageVicky, Love Fiction 2017, vampgirliegirl** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you've enjoyed this!


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

David landed the ship behind their temple, their stronghold, their hope. He promised me that the air was safe to breathe. I believed him. There were small patches of parasite growth still lingering down the trail where the walls of dead Engineers stood as if they were merely frozen in time. "A path will be cleaned for you. We shall start our farm here," he told me. "Food is growing scarce and I want us to have enough time for them to grow. We will also need to cultivate their form of sustenance."

"Will our seeds thrive here?" It was a different biome than Earth, not vastly different, but not identical, either. The dirt felt dry beneath my boots. It was going to take time turning this soil into anything useable. That is… If it were human hands accomplishing human grade effort.

"I will make it work," he said, smiling at me. "Come, let me show you around their temple. We will make use of their many rooms."

He led me around the maze-like interior of the large building. It was very similar to the ship's layout, but more homely. Large statues of their own likeliness appeared at every corner. Within their chambers, I could see the other possessions they treasured. There were small figurines of humanoid shapes laying about on tables and floors. They had wooden boards that appeared to be some sort of game, but everything they owned didn't reflect the technology they had on the ship.

I was disappointed with what I had found thus far and I knew that David was, too. HE seemed disinterested by everything here as if he had seen everything already. Perhaps he had. He had all the time in the world to study the numerous books on the ship and it wasn't until we found another library did his wandering hands run across every spine he could reach. I could see the excitement bleed back into his eyes, a brighter light that shone through those orbs.

I picked one out and gave it a quick flip. There were many words that I didn't understand, but I could see pictures that were very different to the ones on the ship. These ones were more colourful, almost like a picture book, but the text was small and many.

"We should more on. I still have much to show you." He took the book from me and slipped it back in its place. "We'll come back here, later."

Regretfully, we left the library and went back into the dim hallways. We entered the resting quarters, which were small and cubicle. They reminded me of a larger prison cell. That was going to have to change once I got my hands on one of the rooms. I needed something to remind me of home.

Once I found the most spacious suite, I tossed my bag on to the bed, claiming it as mine. I tried not to think of its past occupant. Whatever David had done to them, I couldn't linger too long on it. What's done was done. All I could do was keep living for the next day because I didn't know when I was going to end up joining the others.

"Ah, before I leave..." He handed me what I thought was a stick at first until I spotted the line of holes and the intricate designs. "I made this for you from the wood of their trees. I thought that it'd help you when I'm not with you."

I raised it up to my lips and gently blew into the handmade instrument. It took several discordant tries, but eventually, I found the notes that sounded agreeable to the ears. It was different from what I was used to, but the foreign sounds soon joined into a pleasing tune.

He smiled at me. "Very good. I shall be back shortly. There's still much to do to make this livable for you."

 _For me_.

Of course, he had no use for sustenance. He had a preference towards certain organic foods, but nothing that was required. He was built to be fully self-sufficient.

"Thank you," I told him, clutching the instrument to my chest. "How long did it take you to make it?" I asked before he could disappear.

"Not long, at all," he replied. And then, he was gone.

I looked down at the woodwind. It might not have taken him long and he might not have given it much thought afterwards, but my heart was fluttering in my chest even though he had already left. Why did he have to do this to me? He wasn't allowed to be some sort of serial killer one moment and be sweet and carving the next. It just wasn't fair.

Lifting the instrument to my lips, again, I decided to lose myself to the music, instead. What else was I going to do? Music calmed me down. He knew that. He knew everything. This was no different. _I_ was no different.

Lost in what I knew best, I didn't know how much time had passed nor did I hear him re-enter the room. He waited until I opened my eyes, again. By now, I should've been used to him startling me, but my heart raced as if it was the first time.

I brought the instrument down. "How did it go, David?"

"Very well. I've cleared out most of the land at the back between the ship and the stronghold. We'll have a farm there. I've already turned a size-able area of soil and planted the seeds I had packed." I shook my head, revelling in how immaculate he still looked in his grey uniform. Only a synthetic could accomplish all that in such a short amount of time.

He shed his shirt, revealing the flexing abs beneath. The shirt was neatly folded and placed on the counter as he walked towards me. Unlike everyone else, had didn't reek of sweat after a hard day of work.

When he was close enough, I touched his perfectly warm body and moaned as his lips crashed on to mine. He smoothly took the woodwind away from me and placed it on top of his shirt without breaking contact.

His hands pulled away my own buttoned-up shirt and rested on my bare chest. Long fingers brushed the stiff peaks. I let out a cry when he gave them a pinch.

"Please," I sighed, tugging at his trousers.

With a chuckle, he quickly shed them as well. "So impatient. Whatever am I going to do with you?"

I impatiently seized his stiff member and stroked it and it twitched in my hand as if it was alive. The silky texture was perfect to the touch.

Once my pants were gone, I pulled him down on to me. He slid in in one fluid motion, filling me to the brim. "David…" I moaned. How could anyone expect me to give him up? "move. Make me yours."

Something in his eyes changed and his lips curled into a pleased smile. "Whatever you wish, Cassandra. I will make you _mine_."

…

David had spent the day outside, rounding up the rest of the Engineer that had managed to escape the plague. They were all thrust into their own dungeons beneath the living chambers.

He had become very efficient with handling them. Touching where his neck had so easily come off, he promised himself that it wasn't going to happen again. He had managed to reinforce the attachments there, but besides that, he was more prepared with avoiding their long reach. Once he dodged their initial attack, he was able to sedate them.

Upon his first few attempts, he realised that a much lower dose of sedatives were required. The chemical had reacted too potently with their systems, effectively shutting them down. He was frustrated when he had to dispose of those wasted bodies.

After they were all rounded up and he had an earful of curses sent his way, he went back out to the fields and started what he planned to do.

He systematically tilled the soil, loosening it up until he knew the plants would have room to grow. The task was simple. His hands moved autonomously, while he thought of what he was going to do with his prisoners.

He had a list of experiments lined up, but what to do next? He had to be conservative with this unless he wanted to start breeding the Engineers as well. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He knew what breeding them would mean. Eventually, they would revolt and overpower him. What he needed to do was keep them weak and hopeless. Once he was through with the supply, he was going to be done. Any less was unacceptable.

By the time he was satisfied with his progress, the daylight had dimmed to a burnt-orange glow. He wondered what Cassandra had been doing while he was gone. She had the tendency to wander and it was such a hassle finding her.

It wasn't as if he truly minded that she had found his little project with Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, nor would he mind if she found his dungeons, but there was always a chance of her dying prematurely and that would dampen his plans greatly.

He suppressed the feeling of irritation and went in to check on her. Before he even entered her room, he could hear the music coming through. The sounds were by no means perfect, but with what she had, he was very impressed.

A smile appeared on his face. This was what he liked about her. She was so easily pleased with music. It was something they had in common.

He stood by the door way, watching her fingers move up and down with her eyes closed. As expected, she had become quite comfortable with the foreign instrument. Despite lacking in most fields, she was a master at creating a pleasant tune that compelled him to join her.

When she finally noticed him, he approached her. Her eyes raked over his body. He knew what she wanted and he knew what _he_ wanted. The desire to watch her writhe beneath him in pleasure was beginning to override his programming. He hated these trivial whims, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

Ever since she woke up, he had been feeling this strange compulsion towards her. It was distracting. He hated it. He wondered how to rid himself of this new sensation.

As he took hold of her, he made sure she felt every inch of his hatred. He made it hurt. He made it last. He made her feel everything that he hated and she took it all just as he wanted. She moaned and squirmed, pressing her body close to his.

When they were done, she was laying on his chest, fast asleep. As usual, his mind began to wander, while his body went through routine checkups.

He thought of what he was going to do, what kind of world this will become once its native occupants were gone. Soon, he and Cassandra were going to be the only ones left, until

He wanted to prove Peter Weyland wrong. He was going to have a world of his own creations.

His eyes opened and he reached a hand over to touch her stomach. It was never going to carry a child of his, but they weren't going to have to worry about that. He already knew how he was going to repopulate the planet.

In mid-thought, he felt her stir in his arms and waited until she re-settled into a more comfortable position. He reached over to the drawer and retrieved a small vial of black substance. It was thin like water. Other than the gentle wave caused by the momentum of being moved, it was motionless. There was nothing sentient or cognitive about it.

He shook it a bit more, revelling in the prospect that he was going to put it into action, soon. Until then, he was going to have to wait until she woke up.

His thumb drew circles on her bare stomach, willing her to come out of her slumber, but she remained asleep.

Eventually, impatience took over and he shifted her slightly, thrusting deep into her.

Her eyes napped open and a yelp escaped her lips. "…David!" she gasped, feeling him slide in and out of her. Her body clenched tightly around him.

She was definitely awake, now.

His smooth movement brought her quickly over the edge, but he kept going. His finger found her sensitive bud and rubbed it until she was thrashing against him. Her back was pressed against his chest as he kept her in place with his other arm. The sharp thrust of his hips pushed him deeper and deeper into her, pounding at her cervix.

A part of him still hated that the white fluid in him would never make her pregnant. He didn't understand where those foolish thoughts were coming from. It was infuriating. How could Peter Weyland create him to be the perfect human being, yet not allow him to procreate?

"David! David, stop! I c-can't…" She let out a shriek. Her body tensed tightly around him and he saw her consciousness waver.

Finally, he stopped, watching her slowly unwind and turn into goo. "I… I hate you," she groaned, causing him to chuckle. She had no idea.

They were silent for a moment, while she regained her bearings. "What was that for?"

"I presumed that that was a more pleasant way to wake you up," he stated, sliding out of her and sat up.

She reached out to him. "Where are you going?"

"There is still much to do," he told her. 'IF you like, I can take you there and show you what I have accomplished thus far."

She took a moment to contemplate before nodding. He knew that she must've been curious with what he had been doing all this time and in this foreign land he figured she was still too scared to explore by herself, so he took her down to the dungeons.

Their cries worried her, at first. Her steps grew uncertain – slow shuffles. Her body automatically inched closer and closer behind him. He hid a smirk and continued on until the cells could be seen.

Unlike their own prisons, these ones were created similarly to the technology of their ships. It was made of the same sturdy material. The bars were reinforced with a surge of heart-stopping electricity. It was obvious that these for fortified to keep something strong in.

"What are they doing here?" she asked, frowning when one of them growled at her. S He barked back in their tongue, surprising the Engineer into silence.

He felt a swell of pride.

"They are needed for the progress I plan to make." He went over to the control panel and pressed a single button.

The Engineer panicked as contained gas sprayed into their cell. They fell heavily on to the cold, stone floor. When they were unconscious, he heard the protests echo all around him. He paid them no mind. David disengaged the electricity and opened the cell, dragging the limp body out. It was significantly smaller than the rest.

"Is that a child?" she asked.

"Does it matter?" he asked her, tilting his head.

She shook her head. "I guess not… What are you going to do with it?"

He could tell that she was having second thoughts, but he gave her no time to protest. He dragged the body into the adjacent room that he had turned into his experimental chamber. There were several. These Engineers actually left a trail of evidence that they had done experiments of their own. It was interesting, but their aspirations were nothing compared to his.

He strapped the body down to the table and pulled out a sharp blade. The moment he began to cut through the tough tissue, it woke up, screaming in pain. "Hush. It will do you no good to cry for help," he told it.

The child looked at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"No one can help you." He went on, carving a perfectly shaped square out and set it aside.

He took samples from different parts of its body.

"W-why?" it whimpered. "Who are you… W-why are you doing this to us?"

"You've hurt someone very important to me." He smiled. His eyes were dark with malice. "And I'm going to use every one of you to make our lives better. It's the least you can do after sending your ship to destroy Earth. Do you as a species believe in karma?"

It shook its head, not understanding. No, it wouldn't. It was too young.

"No matter. It's all the same, now. Just close your eyes and it will all be over very, very soon."

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Thank you **MageVicky, Love Fiction 2017, Zerousy, Nirvana14, time-twilight** (x8!), **Dreamer4life16** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you've enjoyed this!


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

I watched him drag the Engineer out of the dungeons and into a room adjacent. He gave me a smile before disappearing, locking the door behind him. That was it. He brought me down here only to leave me wondering with more questions.

What was I going to do, now?

Had I always been so dependent of him? It was as if life stopped whenever he was away. I kept promising myself that I was going to be stronger, but each day was just another broken promise. Why did I even bother?

I forced my feet down the hall and up the stairs, towards the opposite direction of my room. As I stepped out of the stronghold, I instinctively held my breath, but quickly let it go. How was this air any different from the air inside? It wasn't as if there were any filters around.

Slowly, I put one foot in front of the other. It was actually the perfect temperature with a soft breeze ruffling my hair. I saw where David had been working on the field. The dirt was darker than the rest. He did an immaculate job as expected.

The further I got, the more alien everything became. I couldn't recognise any of the greeneries. The trees grew high into the sky, casting dark shadows everywhere. The flowers looked beautiful and perfectly harmless, but I knew better than to approach them. The most beautiful of things were the most dangerous. They reeled you in and capture you, compelling you to stay with them forever. You'd die happy in its grasp.

As I weaved back to the stronghold, I noticed that there were small patches of black on the ground that I hadn't noticed before. They were reminiscent of the black parasites. I made a wide berth around them. Had the parasites settled and thrived in the ground after they were released?

If that was the case, were the crops going to be safe to eat? W as I doomed to die here no matter what?

With a sigh, I walked down the aisle of bodies. Each one had a face frozen in horror. What were they thinking when we came down? I had been so eager to be rid of them. After what one of their kind had done to us, I wanted them all gone, but now that I was living among their legacy, I could feel another tinge of regret hit me. These were still beings that could think and feel. They had plans and ideas. They created and expanded. Now, they couldn't do any of that. Other than the several dozen who were imprisoned in the dungeons, they were all gone.

I reached out, tempted to feel if they were as stiff and hard as they looked or if their flesh was as soft as mine.

Just as my fingers were about to touch them, David called out to me.

I immediately retracted my hand and looked guiltily at him. He was standing on the balcony of his laboratory. Although rather far away, I could still see the glare on his face.

He wasn't happy.

I slowly made my way towards him until I was just a step away from beneath where he was perched upon. Close up, he looked angrier than I had anticipated – more angry than I ever thought was possible for a synthetic. I knew without a doubt that the ire was real. I had experienced it several times first hand. I just didn't understand how it was possible.

"Do _not_ wander off. It's not safe for you out there, right now," he stated in a levelled tone. "If you want to explore, I will accompany you."

I looked away. 'I'll be fine. You don't have to do that. I won't wander…" Like a scolded child, I went back into my room. There I stayed for days, pouting. My only travels consisted of going to the bathroom. Otherwise, David brought me everything. He stayed with me at night, every night, and brought me the only excitement I could get in the small quarters. He could tell that I was still upset with the other day and it was beginning to bother him.

"What do you want me to do or say, Cassandra?" he murmured into my shoulder. His arms were wrapped around my waist and his chest pressed against my back.

"I don't' know what you mean," I huffed. Of course, I was just throwing one of my tantrums, again. It was known to happen every once in a while. When it does, everyone knew about it.

He sighed. "I know you better than that. I've upset you. How can I make it better?"

It wasn't really his fault. Perhaps he had merely been worried about me, but I hated being controlled by him like this. It felt as if my life wasn't my own anymore. I had become nothing more than another doll he could play with. I didn't want to live like that.

"Cassandra…" He left a trail of butterfly kisses from my neck down to my shoulder.

I closed my eyes, hoping that I could be stronger. How could my heart win every time? Did I have no will power against it?

"I cannot give you the love that you desire," he told me. 'If I could, I would, but it simply isn't possible for me. All I can do is try my best to keep you safe so that I will never have to spent a day without you. Is that not enough? I do not know how else to show my fealty to you, my Cassandra."

Tears began to fill my eyes. I never knew that was how he felt. Why hadn't he told me? Why did he have to go through it all in secrecy? Or was this just another ploy to manipulate me? How could I even tell, anymore?

"Perhaps… Beyond everything, you were correct. It was me. I lacked trust. I have thought through many different outcomes of my own future. The main distinction is being with you or without you," he continued. "I fear that I will never truly be good enough for you. I am not of blood and flesh. I cannot give you a child."

"That doesn't matter, David," I told him. I turned so that I can look blurrily into his eyes. "I don't think I can even take care of a child, anyway. Id' rather you be open with me. Stop leaving me in the dark!"

He sighed. "I apologise. I will do better in the future." He wiped away the tears with one long finger.

I blinked, watching as he reached over and retrieved a small jar. The liquid was pitch black and I immediately knew what it was. I knew that it was finally my time to join the rest. I had just hoped that I could've changed his mind, but why after that confession? Did he get my hopes up just to bring it crashing back down?

"This is my last secret. This is what my purpose is winding down to." He sat us up, allowing me to hold the jar. "Your father didn't only want immortality for himself. He also wanted it for you."

"What?" My mind was reeling. Me? "Why me? Why not Meredith? Out of the two of us, she is clearly the more qualified one. She can accomplish so much, while I'll just sulk and moan. Play some music and throw a tantrum!"

"Have you thought that perhaps those are the very qualities that make you his favourite? He lacked everything that you excel in. He didn't need a carbon copy of him, not when he was so confident that he would live on forever. He needed someone who was the opposite – someone well-rounded in the arts."

The words were going in one ear and slipping out the other. After living with the notion that father had never seen me as worthy of anything… Why hadn't he just told me? I didn't care about immortality. I'd rather have died, knowing that he loved me.

I looked down at the dark liquid sitting innocently in my hands. "And this…"

"That is going to give you what I couldn't give him."

"How?" I asked. "How do you know it will work?"

"I've tested it many times. Of course, there was a high rate of failure at first, but I've adjusted it enough to serve my purpose. This will essentially alter your metabolism. Your cells will die as per normal, but the rate of regeneration will be greater than the rate of degeneration. It will make you impervious to time and most injuries, but thus far, it will not make you invincible. I believe that you will want an option open for you in the future." He took the jar away from my shaking hands. 'It is up to you whether you wish to take it or not. I will not force it upon you, no matter how my programming deems it necessary."

So the decision rested on my shoulders. He had laid it all out in front of me. I needed to choose whether I wanted to live on forever or die as all humans do, probably soon as it was. Was I willing to shed my humanity for him? Wasn't all this ironic? He kept me around for my humanity. Now, he was presenting me the option of ridding it. Would he still want me after?

"You said I'd be able to die later on if I choose to?" I needed to make sure that that was true. If everything came crumbling around me – more than it actually had – and if he left me, I needed to know that I could still opt out.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I will help you with the task myself if that is what you wish."

I took the jar back into my hands. 'And I'll have more freedom once I take it?"

"Yes. Other forms of the parasite will no longer affect you. You may roam the land as you choose," he told me.

Swallowing hard, I raised the glass to my lips. With a deep breath, I tipped it in with my eyes closed.

The liquid went down smoothly, but there was a strange bitter aftertaste that made me gage. "That was disgusting!" I exclaimed.

"There was nothing I could do about it. HE gave me an apologetic look. "It will be absorbed fastest in water."

Now that it was over, I wondered why it had taken me so long to decide. It had been quick and painless.

I went on with life as normally as I could on this foreign planet and the transformation didn't hit me until several days later and when it hit me, it hit me hard. The pain crawled up from my stomach and clawed at my throat. It felt as if my head was going to split open. There was a constant ringing in my ears that seemed to vibrate in my skull. My heart raced, fluttering as if it wanted to escape this chaotic concoction that I had introduced into my body.

I was vaguely aware of David scooping me into his arms from the floors of the library. Even the gentlest touch made my skin burn as if it was on fire. It was too much. I'd rather burn out and die. If this was immortality, I didn't want it!

…

David found her writhing in the library. He had been anticipating this since she drank his elixir. When it happened to the young Engineer, he was only filled with pride at his progress. For her, it was a little more difficult to ignore. He made her as comfortable as he could, but everything caused her pain. HE could feel her burning up and wrapped her with his body. The cold, almost freezing temperature he emitted calmed her slightly, but he knew that the fever would have to run its course.

He had been monitoring her cellular activity. It had been taking the parasite well. Instead of instantly taking over, it adapted and compromised. It slowly created an environment that it could live in. The parasite maintained its home. Unfortunately, her own body was fighting the changes. Her white blood cells were futile against the parasites that easily consumed them and took on its character tics, but it didn't stop her immune system from trying. Soon, the parasites were unrecognisable to her internal defences, but the transition hadn't gone as smoothly and painlessly as he had anticipated.

Other than increasing cellular regeneration, there were also other changes that he could not eliminate. If only he had more time to slowly isolate everything… But he couldn't risk Cassandra wandering just a little too far and getting a little too curious. On this planet, she was liable to die at any moment. He'd rather she be slightly altered than not there at all.

He closed his eyes, wondering how long this was going to take. Already, it had been longer than the Engineers he had experimented on. He wasn't surprised. Her body was much weaker than theirs. The only problem was, he was beginning to second guess himself. He had more than one variable to deal with. No matter how confident he sounded for her, he wasn't positive that this would work – that she would come out of this alive or whole. There would always be the risk of the parasite reacting different to her.

Suddenly, her back arched and she let out a piercing scream. "No more! No more!" she cried, shaking her head. When she opened her eyes to look at him, he could see the webs of black slowly taking over.

"Just a little longer." He kissed her forehead.

She shook her head, again. "I can't! It hurts so much. Please, I can't take it anymore!" Another gasp of pain filled her lungs. Her grip on him could've broken bones.

He pried her hands off him. He thought of all the other times he had helped her through times of turmoil. Shifting them until she was tucked between his legs, he did what he knew to pleasure her – to make her mind off the agony that was essentially his doing.

And slowly, the pained screams were mixed with moans of desire. He wondered what the threshold was. Could he overload her senses with enough pleasure to override the pain? Could he condition to love the pain as much as the pleasure? Was that possible?

He happily experimented his scientific question. Unlike any other male specimen, he would not tire. HE went on until she was passed out and continued his administration whenever she showed any signs of discomfort. Any time he had alone was spent on the farm. He worked endlessly, until she opened her eyes and looked at him clearly for the first time in a week. The black had receded from her eye whites, but her grey orbs were not pitch black. It absorbed light and reflected none in return. The life he had once seen in them were gone and he wondered how much of her was actually left.

"Cassandra." He leaned in, hoping to catch a glimpse of recognition in her dead eyes.

She reached up towards him. Her fingers brushed his nose and lips. "David…" she breathed. "You look different."

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

She grazed his cheek with her nails. "I can see so much more of you. I can see your… imperfections."

He froze. That was not something he heard often. Only Peter Weyland had ever said anything similar to him.

"There's a small bump here." She continued to scrutinise him until her eyes fell closed again and she was silent.

"Cassandra?" Had she fallen asleep? No, he could tell by her heart beat and breathing that she was still awake.

A frown marred her face. 'I think there's something wrong with me," she whispered. "If eel so lonely. My head… My head is missing something. It's so lonely in there. Why? I've never felt like this before."

He brushed his lips against hers and she quickly pressed him closer as if she was trying to somehow absorb him. Her lips were everywhere, as were her hands. It wasn't long before they were both nude and he was fully sheathed inside her, again.

"It's not working!" she cried, wrapping her legs around him. "It doesn't feel right. I feel so empty…"

He slid back out when he noticed that she was gaining no pleasure from their interaction. He as truly starting to hate the after-effects. "What can I do to assist you?" He was growing irritated with the situation.

"I don't know!" The tears fell and she curled into a ball, turning away from him.

He left out an audible sigh. "Give me your arm, I will see if I can find anything wrong." When he pierced her arm with the needle, he first noticed how much more difficult it was, but when it went through, he immediately reeled back. The needle had completely dissolved and the droplet of blood that had fallen on the cover had bore a hole into the fabric. It didn't, however, manage to go all the way through the mattress.

"Fascinating…" He hadn't expected this and although it made his work harder, he was actually quite pleased with this. The only problem would be if she ever bled on him. Otherwise, the new defense mechanism was extremely useful. It was also helpful to note that all her other body fluids were still normal – at least, her tears, saliva, and vaginal fluids were.

"What is it?" she asked, wondering why he had gone silent.

"Nothing to concern yourself over. Allow me to do a full check up and I shall inform you of everything you must know."

He looked forward to truly seeing all the changes to her human body. How much of it was left?

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Thank you **Nirvana14, time-twilight, Lady Jensen, Zerousy, Dreamer4life16, SabakuNoGaara426,** and **Love Fiction 2017** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you've enjoyed this!


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

She stumbled to her feet and shuffled her bare feet down the corridors to where he had found the medical bay that was equipped to do body scans.

It was a quick process gathering the information. Making it comprehensible, however, was a little more challenging. He noted how her skin felt smoother and tougher. There were black veins where her skin was thinnest and the roots of her hair was a darker shade. He could see that her movements were more subtle. She walked like a hunter, expecting to find prey around every corner.

Within her was a mixture of new cells, old cells, and hybrid cells. He was only able to observe this with a thin tissue sample. Her blood was going to be off limits, from now on.

From the scan, he could see a difference in her organs. Her lungs were larger, her digestive system smaller. Her heart was the same as before, but it pulsed much quicker, pushing the blood faster through her body. Her other organs remained relatively the same. He couldn't find any physical changes that would affect her mentally, but he had a theory. The parasite existed as a whole – a hive, but in their current state, without a larger life form, they were undetectable to her. This meant that he was going to need to give her some more companions.

How exciting…

He led her out, reassuring her that he was going to help her with her new problem. She gave him a pleading look that made him chuckle. "Be a good girl."

"I will…" she sighed. "Can I go out, now?"

"Of course." He had no doubts that she would be safe outside, now. "Do return before dark. I do not wish for you to be lost."

She grinned. "I can see just fine in the darkness." There was a soft green glow to her eyes when the shadows covered them. "I'll be fine. I just need some air. I feel like I'm a stranger in my own skin. I feel so… so _alien_."

Indeed.

On a cellular level, most would no longer consider her human, especially once she completes the assimilation. Physically, she could still fool their inferior sight.

While she was gone, he went into the ship and retrieved his smaller specimens. These will have to adapt into something larger – more sentient.

It took many hours to create anything even close to what he needed. BY the time Cassandra was back, his experiments had been a failure. He spent many more days trying to make something viable. Nothing he did worked.

He needed a host. He went back to the dungeons to where a handful of the Engineers were left. There weren't a lot left after all the failed tests and he had already tried to reuse the dead bodies. They were useless. Nothing but a waste of space.

The remaining Engineers were all motionless – lethargic from the lack of sustenance and hope.

"Who shall be the honour of mothering an offspring?" he purred in their language. All of them were hermaphrodites. They didn't have sex distinctions. "How about you?"

He knocked them out and strapped down the large body. Retrieving the eggs were simple. He knew more than enough about their anatomy to take them out without permanently injuring them, but he was going to need to be more gentle with them. His resource was running out quickly and he wasn't sure what else he was going to need from them.

Once the eggs were cultivated, he stitched up the incision and dragged the Engineer back into the cell.

He carefully injected a small batch of eggs with the parasite. It was no different from performing In Vitro Fertilisation. The task was simple. The only problem was getting a favourable result. Failure was high. If he had been human, he would've long been discouraged. As it were, he merely took it as a challenge.

"Soon, you won't be lonely anymore," he told her, stroking her hair. She hummed, cuddling closer. "We will have a family residing here."

Her lips curled into a weak smile. "I can't wait. I hate feeling like I'm the only one here. Seeing you doesn't help. I need you, but I need this hole filled. I feel like I'm losing my mind."

He reassured her that that feeling was going to fade.

Weeks went by before any progress was made. He had to feed the remaining prisoners, knowing that they would eventually die if he didn't. The crops he had planted were slowly budding. Everything looked like it was going smoothly.

The eggs were growing at an alarming rate. Instead of behaving like mammals, the egg remained in its oval form. It became the size of his head and kept growing still. He placed them in their own room, wondering when they were going to hatch.

He waited and waited. Even though the eggs grew no more, they didn't produce anything either. At first, he thought he had failed, but when Cassandra found them, she immediately ran over, stroking one of the eggs lovingly. "I can feel them, David." The egg pulsed to the touch of her hands. "They need a host. They're waiting to be born. They're like me, but… not quite."

He understood what she meant and dragged an unconscious body towards the egg. The mother was going to become the offspring.

Immediately, the top of the egg flowered open. The thick petals felt around the air and suddenly, a multi-legged creature jumped out, attaching to the Engineer's face.

Cassandra smiled, gently touching the spawn as if it was her own child. "It is happy."

And she was happy.

That was all that mattered at the moment.

She pulled him close and kissed him in that room. They had intercourse and lounged in the dark and damp room, waiting for what was to come.

It didn't take long for the spider-like creature to fall off. It became stiff and lifeless, dropping like a dead fly. He initially thought he was going to have to start over, but once again, she reassured him otherwise. He wasn't used to this.

"It will come," she said. "We will have our first child."

 _Their_ child.

The concept was a little strange as he also saw the new Cassandra as his own creation – his beautiful doll. These creatures would be different. Perhaps they were going to be _her_ dolls. After all, he had made them for her. As much as he felt prideful of his accomplishments, they didn't have any lasting purpose for him. Cassandra was the only one he needed.

She laid her head in his lap as they waited some more. The time passed quickly. Perhaps an hour later, the body jerked. The back arched upward and then, the Engineer let out a blood-curdling scream. The chest cavity curst open. A small fleshy creature crawled out, nudging the surrounding around it curiously.

Eventually, it approached them. The offspring bumped into Cassandra's out stretched hands. Its teeth nibbled on her padded flesh and she let out a giggle, cradling it in her arms. "How are you?" she cooed. "Look how beautiful it is, David."

He reached out a hand to touch its bulbous head. There was nothing aesthetically pleasing about it, but he was fascinated with their immediate connection. Cassandra had always been so skittish with things she didn't understand. This creature had so easily gained her affection.

He… didn't like it.

It wasn't long before it squirmed away and disappeared out the door.

She sighed, relaxing back into his lap. "He's hungry. He'll be back, soon."

When it came back, it was nearly unrecognisable. Whereas it had been beige in colour before, it was now a glossy, jet black. It crawled over to us on all four. The long tail poised in the air. Its length had to be at least six feet, now.

She extended her hand towards it, watching as it bumped its head against her fingers. "Good boy…"

It hissed, wagging its pointed tail before settling down in front of them.

"You've grown so much," she murmured, scooting closer to is so that she was pressed against its ribbed chest.

He watched them interact and when everything fell silent, he felt oddly left out. Companionship was something that he didn't always concern himself with. He only needed one and she was always there. Now, it was as if she was being taken away from him.

Eventually, he grew tired of the idleness and went off to tend to everything else. Each action was done automatically. His mind constantly went back to Cassandra. The affection for the creature was something he had never seen before. It went beyond what she felt for him.

The wooden handle cracked in his hands and he stopped to repair it. She was his… He _made_ her.

He put the thought into a separate compartment. This pettiness was not him. HE didn't feel things like this. IT was impossible. Was he glitching? Had something entered his system without him knowing?

With a quick scan, he didn't find anything out of the ordinary. It had to be a software fault that he couldn't detect. After a full system scan, however, he still couldn't detect any anomalies.

…

I hummed happily when he curled his tail around my waist. He was so nice and warm. I could feel him purring. His contentment filled me from the inside. I wondered how I could've lived so long without craving this completeness. With him, I was never going to be alone, again.

I smiled at David when he walked in. He didn't reciprocate the gesture. Instead, he had a scanner in his hand and gave our child a once over before leaving, again. His coldness had left me confused. I thought he would've been happy. Everything he had done was a success. I didn't understand why he seemed so upset.

Sensing my own unease, my boy nuzzled my neck. The tail tickled my side. "I think daddy is feeling a little down. Why don't we go find out what's wrong?"

He sat up, stretching on all four and followed me out. It was wonderful being able to interact with someone who could understand me so completely.

I found David by the machines, looking at the anatomy of our child. "Anything interesting?" I asked just so I could listen to him rant, but he did none of that. He was silent until I wrapped my arms around him. 'What's wrong? Why are you ignoring me?" It felt as if our roles had reversed.

His knuckles cracked and I heard our child growl.

"It's okay," I reassured him, stroking his head until he calmed down. "Why don't you go explore?"

With a snort, it slowly walked away and I was left alone with David. It was then that I noticed the shake of his hands and I put mine over them.

Immediately, he gripped my wrist and slammed me against the machine, causing me to cry out. I could feel the edge of the machine digging into my back. "What is wrong with you?!" He didn't so much hurt me as startle me by the sudden aggression.

His eyes were dark with rage. It burned hotter than I had ever seen it. 'You are mine, Cassandra," he growled. "Every part of you belongs to me." His grip tightened and I could feel his body heat up.

"I don't understand," I breathed. "You know I love you. That has never changed. What has brought this on?"

He said nothing. His hands tugging away the small pieces of cloth I had wrapped around my body. He was rubbing himself between my legs like a depraved male. It was so unlike him. He was always so calm and methodical. What changed?

I kissed his jaw. "Is it him? Are you… jealous?" My lips curled into a teasing smile as I realised what must've been bothering him. 'You do know that I love him in a very different way to how I love you?"

He slid in, bumping against my cervix in one hard thrust. I threw my head back, choking back a moan. "H-he… He's family. He's connected to my mind. We c-could feel each other as i-if we're one person." My stomach clenched. "He can probably f-feel this, t-too…"

"Shut up. Stop talking about _him_." He gritted his teeth, moving faster and harder. "Say it, again, Cassandra."

I knew what he wanted to hear and the words fell naturally out of my lips. 'I love you!"

"Again!"

"I love you! Oh, God, David!" It was too difficult to go on. HE slid in and out of me, feeling bigger than I remembered. Id dint' know whether that was because of him or whether this body was just more sensitive.

"Never forget this feeling," he whispered into my ears. 'To be claimed by me and only me. There will never be another. You are _mine_."

"Yours," I sobbed as I climaxed, convulsing against him. I was nothing but a panting, boneless body in his arms. His body pinning me was the only thing keeping me upright. "I love you, David. Always."

And although he believed that he would never be able to love me back, I had a suspicion that he just didn't understand his own emotions. Everything that he had done and every reaction showed me the side of him that he had never shared with anyone else – that he never wanted anyone else to see.

He held me so close that I wondered if he was trying to crush me – to somehow mold me into him. "Something is wrong with me. I am behaving outside of my perimeters."

"There is nothing wrong with you," I laughed. "You're perfect just the way you are."

I stayed with him for the rest of the day as he informed me of everything regarding our child. He called them Xenomorphs – something alien that evolves. The name really didn't mean much to me. I knew what he felt like in my mind. That was all the indicator I needed.

I kissed him, again. "Let's get out of here."

The next few days, the Xenomorph got into the habit of foraging in the forest. It gave David an I time alone. I knew our boy wanted to give us our privacy, but I was also missing its physical presence. Whenever the loneliness escalated, he'd caress my mind, comforting me.

David got back into his routine of experimenting, working, and tending to me. Time passed so peacefully. I loved this planet. I was free to roam without being afraid, but I also missed my old home. I missed the crowded streets and trivial problems – paying the bills, traffic, groceries…

"I miss Earth…" I whispered to him, one night.

But I knew that there was no going back. We didn't have the means and I couldn't exactly just waltz back into that life. I needed my baby, but everyone else would prosecute him. He would be killed and dissected. I wouldn't be able to stand feeling that cold, loneliness, again.

The days turned into weeks turned into years. Seasons passed. Our crops thrived in the alien soil. We led the rest of the remaining Engineers to the eggs to breed more Xenomorphs. We had a nicely sized family, now.

Our children were independent. They hunted and gathered b themselves. There was nothing I needed to supply them other than companionship and I loved spending time with all of them.

They'd congregate around me and we'd lay about, bathing in the sensation of completion. David never bothered us when we were like this. I tried to include him several times before, but I knew that he gained no joy from it. I could tell that he thought it was a waste of time. If only I could share with him what I felt.

Eventually, I stopped trying to pull him into the family bonding time. He'd visit every once in a while on his own volition. Sometimes to give me food, other times to tell me where he would be going. Sometimes, I could tell that something was bothering him. He liked the Xenomorph enough, but he rarely liked to speak of them.

I wondered if it was the same issue, again. My hand laid on my stomach. He had mentioned never being able to father a child. I never thought that it had been a real problem before. We still had children, they just didn't come from our blood and flesh. It didn't bother me, but I knew it was different for him. He wasn't part of the internal bond. HE was the odd man out. He was never going to feel the bliss of having a family like mine, so whenever I could, I bathed him with all the love and affection I could muster.

I cuddled against him, purring happily as he ran his fingers through my hair.

Our night had been going wonderfully, until I was suddenly assaulted by a sense of alarm coming from one of our children.

 _Strangers were on our land._

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Thank you **speedy-skye, MageVicky, Tinie nyny** (x4) **, Nirvana14, Love Fiction 2017, Zerousy, Dreamer4life16** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you've enjoyed this!


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

"David!" My eyes were wide. My heart raced in a way that it hadn't for the past decade. "There are intruders on our land!"

He kissed my temple. 'Stay here. I will go see who it is." He retrieved the clothes he had weaved and brushed his hair out of his face. 'It had grown to his shoulders. A little ratty. I really didn't like it, but he refused to let me cut it off. How stubborn. "I'll be back short. Please, wait for me here, while I gauge their level of hostility."

"Be careful," I whispered, pulled him to my lips.

I smiled. He was always thinking of my safety, even now, when there was very little that could harm me. Or perhaps I had simply grown complacent. With no threats here, I felt invincible, but I knew that I wasn't. We both knew it from the start.

I also knew that David wasn't invincible, either. As he was gone, I began to wonder if he was going to be alright. I couldn't feel him like I did with everyone else, so I called to my children to watch out for him.

They observed the scene in perfect camouflage. Their dark bodies melted into the shadows. I could feel them ready to attack if anything went wrong.

Fortunately, it wasn't needed. When I heard David return with the visitors, I quickly got dressed and went out to greet them.

They were a handful of humans. I never thought I was ever going to see any, again.

"Everyone, this is Cassandra. She is the lone survivor of the Prometheus." Other than him, obviously

"Wow…" I heard a dark-haired man mumble.

I smiled at them. "Hello." I really didn't know how to react. It had been over a decade since I had any human interaction. There was David, of course, and he was close, but our relationship made the interactions different. I could hardly go up to those people and greet them with a passionate kiss.

They cautiously came closer, introducing themselves. Rosie, Dan, Chris, Cole, Dani, Tennessee. Suddenly, it felt as if there were more than just a handful of them. It was almost overwhelming with their presence all in front of me.

I froze when I saw the last of their crew. "Hello, I'm Walter." He smiled softly at me, but all I could do was stare.

He was almost physically identical to David. The only difference was the head of short, brown hair. IN fact, he was exactly how David looked when he was first introduced to the world. It wasn't long before he began to dye his hair blonde.

I swallowed.

Walter was just a synthetic. It really shouldn't have surprised me that they looked alike. Father had left his legacy behind. Of course, it'd be picked up by his executives. His ideas were one of a kind.

"Hello, Walter," I finally replied, casting a look at David.

"You are the daughter of Peter Weyland," he said. "If the others knew you were still alive, you would be inheriting the company."

I hadn't even thought about that. "It's best if I didn't. I really don't have any interest in it. In my hands, I'd probably run it to the ground and that would be a waste."

"The photo of the three of you is in the lobby. You were all remembered to be the finest travellers. No one really knew if you'd made it or not." He gazed at me as if I was some sort of idol and it made me uncomfortable. "But whatever happened to your hair? Is it the air? Perhaps the food?"

"Well… " What was I going to say? I couldn't just tell them what David had done to me. Perhaps it was best if I could move the conversation elsewhere. "Things didn't turn out the way anyone expected," I sighed. "The En – "

"Cassandra," David interrupted me. "Perhaps our guests would like to freshen up or have some food to warm their bellies."

I nodded in relief. "Good idea." I didn't miss the way he put his arm around my waist as we led them to the dining room. We had redecorated most of the stronghold to meet our needs, but some of the rooms remained as they were to preserve some of the culture, while others were used for David's experiments. The rest were very reminiscent to how our home on Earth had looked with very alien furniture. We had made a pretty nice home for ourselves. Granted, David did most of the work with my verbal input.

"This is quite impressive," Daniels breathed, looking around in wonder.

"Please, have a seat." I gestured to the table. "David will fetch us some refreshments. We've been blessed with year after year of good harvests."

They all sat down, dropping their equipment beneath their chairs. I noticed that none of them had a helmet on when they entered. Had they lost them? It did look as if they had encountered some troubles. When I asked, they all shrugged.

"This planet… We thought it was like Earth. I guess we should've been more cautious about what else w were going to find. This place had the possibility of being colonised, but…" Tennessee shook his head. "What the Hell attacked us?!"

I tilted my head. Attacked? I knew that none of my children had done it. What else lived among us? It had to be something new or from very far away because David had travelled quite a bit over the years and he never mentioned anything. We also hadn't encountered anything hostile before – other than the Engineers. "What do you mean? What happened?

"No clue. One moment it was fine, the next, Tom got sick and then our ship blew up. It was horrible! My wife, Maggie, she was on the… I listened to her die and there was nothing I could've done to save her!" I could hear the devastation in his voice. It brought back memories of my own sister's last moments. His story wasn't that different from mine, but he still had most of his friends. He still had a ship waiting for him up there. He still had a purpose – to find Origae-6.

"I'm sorry," I told him. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

"The storm is really picking up, isn't it?" Cole mumbled, breaking up the tension that had fallen over the table. "Is it always like this?"

"Not always. The seasons aren't unlike the ones on Earth," I told them. "But the dry seasons are drier and the wet seasons are wetter. Other than that, the weather has been kind to us."

David walked in with several trays balanced perfectly on his arms. He set them softly on to the table in front of us. "I hope you enjoy what I've prepared."

There was jam and bread; fruits and vegetables. Everything was fresh and beautiful.

"Thank you." Daniels smiled at him.

They all dug in as if it was going to be their last meals, with absolutely no reservation. I actually wondered if David had spiked it somehow. I really wouldn't put it past him.

There was minimal chatter while they ate, but once they were done, a couple of them went to the root to try out their equipment again to contact their ship.

"Do you mind pointing me to the bathroom?" Rosenthal asked, getting up with a stretch. "I'm feeling pretty ick."

"Of course." David smiled at her. "Follow me."

With that, everyone took it as their queue to leave the table. I didn't mind that they were going to wander unsupervised. David had always made sure that everything valuable were locked up. The basement was definitely inaccessible to them. What could possibly go wrong?

Daniels, or Dani as she preferred to be called, was the only one to stay behind. She filled me in on everything that had happened – the deaths, the loss, the creatures. In return, I told her of my own tale of how I came to be here, the tragedy that had taken place in our search for our _creators_.

She never questioned about the previous residents of this planet, even though their bodies remained frozen outside. Perhaps David had already filled them in on some lie or they thought the species had already died off before we came. Whatever the case, I was glad that I didn't need to explain what had happened. I doubt that these people would react kindly to the news of genocide, but they also didn't understand. They hadn't seen those monsters kill my family!

A wave of calmness washed over me. That was right. I had a new family, now. The past was the past. I had to move on from there because everything was different here. _I_ was different.

"Would you ever want to go back?" she asked me.

"It's something I've thought about often, but I think I've already come to terms that it will never happen," I told her.

She smiled sadly at me. "You can come with us to Origae-6, both you and David. It's not quite Earth, but we'll make it our own. T he world will have two thousand colonists. I'm sure that it's been lonely here with just the two of you."

I watched her pick up a decorative piece that David had made. "How did you end up here when you were planning to get to another planet? Did you get into an accident?"

"Something like that…" she sighed. "Our ship was hit by some sort of shockwave, damaging it quite a bit. I… I lost my husband when it happened. He was stuck in the cryopod, while it burned him. All I could do was watch. I've never felt so helpless…" Her voice cracked, but no tears fell. I admired her strength. Something about her reminded me of Elizabeth Shaw.

I hadn't thought of her for a long time. Her semi-preserved body had been locked in one of David's rooms. She had become buried in the memories that I wanted to forget.

"I'm sorry," I told her, reaching out to hesitantly pat her back. It was strange how soft she was. I had gotten so used to David's perfectly toned body and my children's tough exoskeleton. Hell, even my own skin was thicker. "I will talk to David about Origae-6. I wouldn't mind going with all of you." Truly, I didn't. As long as I was able to take my children with me.

"Sounds good."

We continued on with idle chatter, until I felt fear course through me.

It was not mine.

I quickly excused myself and went in search of my child. I found him standing by the entrance, drenched by the rain. The other four were also there. They were restless, pacing and hissing.

When I arrived, they all swarmed over to me and I held them in my arms. "Tell me what's wrong," I quietly urged them.

I wasn't able to see what he could see, but I felt every emotion that made him wary. "It's going to be okay. Whatever it is, we will deal with it." This time, it was my comfort that calmed the pack.

I kissed each of their heads and beckoned them to stay out of sight while the guests wandered.

They easily blended into the shadows and disappeared as if they were never there, but I could still feel them. With them safely hidden, I made my way down the corridors, hoping to find David.

Whatever made them anxious had to be dealt with. I assumed that this was the creature that had attacked Daniels' crew. How it came to be, I wasn't sure, but it wasn't the first time a mutation occurred outside our awareness.

Because the parasite had settled into the ground, many organisms had ended up becoming host to it. The results were unpredictable. Never had they excited such a reaction from the Xenomorph, though. They had always been at the top of the food chain.

This only started happening since they arrived here. Could they have found human hosts, but they were not like my children. These were not connected to us.

"Is something the matter?"

I turned to see David standing by the washroom. He was wiping his hands with a small towel. "David, something's happened. Out there – "

"I said it," he interrupted me. "It was different from the rest. I was hoping to gain its trust. Unfortunately, one of the humans killed it before I was able to learn anything."

From behind him, I saw a body laying on the floor in a pool of blood. I let out a groan. "David…"

"It was not me," he stated. "The creature had gotten to her first. It must've been hungry."

When he moved aside, I could see the other body slumped over. It was very similar to the Xenomorph, but this one was pale, almost white. It looked so incomplete as if it was still partially wrapped in membrane. There were more minor differences, but I couldn't look at it anymore. Disdain filled me. I didn't like it already. There better not be more roaming around, especially if they were hostile.

David kissed me. "Don't worry about them. Look at my gift for you." He took my hand and led me down the stairs and into the chamber where the eggs had rested since the last of the Engineer was used.

On the ground of the dark and damp room was Chris Oram. One of the babies had caught him. I was surprised that I hadn't felt it before, but it must've been the stress.

Despite the raging emotions, I smiled. "I can't wait until he arrives. The others will be so pleased." I wrapped my arms around David's neck, laying my head on his chest. "Daniels told me about Origae-6. It's going to be a planet like Earth – or so they think. They have two thousand colonists waiting in their ship."

"Do you wish to go?" he asked me.

"I think it's something to think about," I replied.

I could already tell that he wanted to go. This planet had already outlived its usefulness for him. There was no doubt that he wanted a hand in moulding the new world.

"Very well. I shall go clean up the mess upstairs before anyone finds them."

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Thank you **Tinie nyny, Dreamer4life16, Nirvana14, Zerousy, time-twilight, Love Fiction 2017** for reviewing.

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you enjoyed this!


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

David had been pleasantly surprised to find the humans wandering around his planet. Upon interacting with them, they immediately blurted out everything that had happened.

He had actually forgotten about the music he left playing on the ship. It had been there to calm Cassandra. Afterwards, it seemed completely insignificant.

He brought them into their home, making sure none of them were going to harm Cassandra. Unfortunately, he hadn't expected Walter to catch her attention. The irritation that filled his senses made him wish that he could rip the other synthetic's head off.

Cassandra only needed him.

Eventually, they all dug into the refreshments he had prepared for them. Everything had been handled with care. He made sure that it was all perfect to prove to the others that their Walter was really only a copy, not an upgrade.

David was perfection. He accomplished everything efficiently and accurately. There was nothing that could replace him. _Nothing_.

He watched everyone interact, joining in only when something was directed at him. These humans were foolish. He couldn't believe that they had wandered down to a foreign planet with no form of protection. None of them had a helmet on. Had they not advanced at all in the decade that passed?

Even though he thought Cassandra to be over cautious back then, at least she had survival instinct. This bunch was completely naïve, but that only made things easier for him. He didn't need any of their brains. He only needed a warm, viable host.

His eyes flickered over to Cassandra and Daniels. His brunette was smiling at something the other woman said. Did she miss the human interactions? Had he not been enough for her?

He saw her peek beneath her long lashes to look over at him and her lips curved higher. No, she was still his. No one could take her from him.

"I'll go freshen up a little, if you guys don't mind," Rosenthal stood up, stretching. "Thank you for the food. It was delicious."

There was a wave of agreements and he bowed his head at them as they walked by. He followed them up to the corridors where they all split up. Where should he go? He wasn't worried about them finding anything they shouldn't. The rooms were always locked. Both he and Cassandra were the only ones who knew how to get in. There was no reason not to be cautious.

He could see several of the Xenomorphs weaving in and out of the shadows. They weren't going to act until she was okay with it, so there was no reason for him to worry about them, either. Instead, eh went about doing his own thing. He was down in one of his rooms when a loud thud and screech alerted him that something was wrong.

His first thought went to the Xenomorphs. The high pitched cry was reminiscent of them, but not identical. What created the noise?

Upon his investigations, he found an interesting sight. There was a pale creature hovering over Rosenthal's mangled body. It paid him no mind as he walked towards it, so he deliberately stepped on a broken piece of the sink.

It immediately turned and hissed at him.

He smiled. "It's alright. I'm not here to hurt you." He extended his hand towards it when it made no moves to attack him. "What a fascinating beauty you are…"

He had never been able to directly create something so magnificent with the parasites, so he assumed that this one must've come from a host. The people on the Covenant had lost several of their own. One must've gotten infected, but not by the eggs.

He knew of the spores that still resided in the ground after he released them to rid most of the Engineers. They must've been active and these helmetless humans inhaled it in. He was glad that he had kept Cassandra from wandering too much before he transformation.

"Come here. Let me have a look at you." Not long after he said that, a green beam appeared on the creature's head. His eyes widened. "No, don't – !"

Several bullets flew past him, sinking deep into the creature's head. Chris Oram still had his gun aimed at the poor thing when he turned around to glare at him.

"Why did you do that? I was getting through to it. There was no reason to kill it," David hissed.

"The monster killed Rosie!" Oram argued.

"It was hungry. It didn't know any better." This man had decided his fate the moment he killed the creature.

"You knew this place wasn't safe. Why didn't you tell us?!" Oram accused.

David narrowed his eyes. "This place is perfectly safe for us. Cassandra and I have been living here for the past decade."

Oram shook his head. "Ten years… Cassandra _Vickers_ née Weyland was twenty-two when she left on the expedition. She doesn't look like she's in her thirties. She looks identical to what she did when you all left. The only difference is her hair colour. I doubt it's the air. Something else happened to her. I've done my research. I know when something is wrong. Unless she's been in hypersleep the entire time, she should _not_ look like that!" He, now, had his gun pointed at David who calmly regarded him. "So tell me what the fuck is going on?!"

David sighed. "If you must know, I have found the key to immortality."

"What?" Oram looked at him in disbelief. "That's impossible. How?"

"Why don't I show you?" He smiled, slowly walking down the stairs. He didn't have to turn around to know that Oram was following him. Humans were always so obsessed with living forever.

He led the man past the empty dungeon and unlocked the chamber just beyond it, waiting as Oram gaped at the eggs that littered the room. He had a good supply of them. The only things he was missing were hosts.

He knelt down by one of the eggs and gave it a stroke, showing that they were docile. At least, for him. They had long since found out that these eggs did not hatch unless the other was alive and did not already carry familial cells.

Oram came up beside him and only got as far as crouching down before the top of the egg began to open up. He gazed at it curiously and made to touch it when the multi-legged creature jumped out – Facehuggers, he liked to call them as they always aimed for the face. He stumbled around for a few seconds before falling flat on his back, twitching at the creature integrated itself.

Cassandra would be pleased.

And he was correct.

The moment he showed her, she had turned around and pulled him down into a deep kiss. Her pleasure was pleasing to see. In return, she had given him the news of Origae-6.

Sure, this place was great. He was able to manipulate it however he liked, but he knew that he had been too frivolous with the Engineers. He had gotten rid of them too quickly and thus, limited the potential this planet had to offer.

As soon as they ran out of hosts, he was unable to create anything bigger than a small dependent life form. He didn't want to admit defeat, but he was ready to leave this place behind.

The only problem would be transporting the Xenomorphs with them. Cassandra would break down without her family and he couldn't have that. It would immediately blow their cover. He needed these people to be blissfully unaware of the modifications he had done to her.

He kissed her and led her out of the egg chamber, leaving Oram's body behind. Already, he had a plan. There was only one way to transport a Xenomorph in. She was going to have to make do with having only one until they arrive at Origae-6.

Until then, there was a lot more planning to do and he was quickly running out of time. HE packed up everything they were going to need and as he was grabbing things, he noticed that Cassandra was holding one of her children.

It was going to be difficult getting her to leave them here. When it came down to it, who would she choose? Would she want to stay with them or leave with him? He wanted to be confident that she'd choose him, but his calculations were giving him undesirable results.

He folded her clothes neatly into the bag.

It didn't really matter in the end. She was going with him whether she wanted to or not.

"Cassandra, we shouldn't leave our guests alone for too long." Especially that synthetic. Even though he had no doubts the humans wouldn't cause any trouble, _Walter_ was a different story. "Why don't we go look for them?"

"Give your mummy and daddy some privacy. I'll get all of you later," he heard her say to the Xenomorphs. Over the years, they had come to understand basic English, or rather, the meaning behind the words – not unlike a common house pet.

He thought he would've been able to teach them any sort of coherent language, but they relied far too heavily on the hive mind.

When it left, he felt her wrap her arms around him,. "If we leave, will they have to stay behind?"

He paused in his packing. "It will be difficult convincing the others to take them with us."

Her arms tightened. "I can't leave them, David."

He kissed her. "We'll get through this together. We've done it before and we will be alright. Trust me."

Sadly, she nodded, but he could still see the doubt in her eyes. He'd just have to convince her better.

His hands tugged away her shorts and brushed her thigh. He was able to give her what those things would never be able to.

He laid her down on the bed and knelt down between her legs, watching her stare back at him with a flushed face. "David… Now's not the ti – " She let out a breathy gasp when his tongue flicked the pink bud.

Her fingers gripped his hair, pulling his face closer. He smirked, consuming her until she was crying out his name.

"You have to be quiet, dear Cassandra," he purred, sliding up her body. "You wouldn't want the others to hear, would you? Whatever would they think?"

She whimpered, arching her back for more contact. "David, _please_!"

He knew she was close, but he had to make her remember who she couldn't live without. "If you don't keep quiet, I'll have to do it for you."

She shook her head.

"Good girl." And then, he thrust into her, knowing full well that the bed was banging loudly against the wall. Her stifled mews made him grin wickedly at her. "You're making so much noise. They'll all come and see how naughty you are."

"More, David!" she cried.

He placed a finger over her lips. "Shh…"

Her eyes wandered over towards the door. They widened and he immediately knew who was there. Only one other occupant could come up behind him undetected.

He burned his face into the crook of her neck, ignoring the voyeur as Cassandra let out a muffled protest.

Let him watch.

Let him envy what he could never have.

…

I stared in horror as the door opened and Walter watched us with wide eyes. I tried to tell David, but his hand remained on my mouth.

The other synthetic's eyes wandered downward to where we were joined together and a tinge of sadness washed over his face. I didn't know what brought it on, but the thought disappeared as soon as David brought me over the edge.

I clenched my eyes closed and buckled against him, feeling the wash of liquid enter me. My own heavy breathing and the weight of his warm body were the only things I could feel.

When I opened my eyes, again, Walter was already gone. I hoped that he wasn't going to tell anyone about this. Was there any way we could stop him?

David finally removed his hand from my mouth and chuckled at the pout on my face. "Don't worry about him."  
"I don't want the others to know," I told him.

"Are you ashamed of me?" He tilted his head.

"That's not it!" I protested. "I guess I'm just not used to anyone knowing. I don't want them to judge us, especially these people who may take us with them on their ship." Of course, he knew that that wasn't all. There was still a part of me that didn't want anyone to know about us because relationships with synthetics were tabooed. "I'm sorry…" I didn't want to offend him in any way. It was just something innate in me.

He smiled back at me. "Then why don't we find him? I'm sure we can convince him to keep it a secret."

I nodded and we quickly got dressed. The search for Walter hadn't been as difficult as I thought. He hadn't gone straight to the others. Instead, we noticed a door that was supposed to be locked was now cracked open. Of course, the synthetic would find a way to get in.

He had a stack of paper in his hands – David's sketches. I had seen those before. They were all very well drawn, but a bit unorthodox. I wondered if the ones of me were still in there.

I remembered laying down on his table as he sketched me out. Sometimes, he'd run the point of his writing instrument up and down my body, saying it was to catch every detail of me, but I knew he just liked to watch me squirm.

There were also drawings of Elizabeth Shaw and all the grotesque ways he'd imagine the mutation would affect the body in time. None of them were particularly accurate, but they were still beautifully drawn.

"What is this?" Walter quietly asked us as we walked in, closing the door behind us. His eyes wandered over to where Shaw's body was being kept. It was barely decayed, perhaps a side effect of the parasitic cells in her body, but her body had been peeled open with her innards displayed.

Walter took a step towards David, lightly tossing the papers back on to the table. I could see an image of myself staring back at me. My body was completely shaded in with a tail poking out. It was a perfect rendition of what I would look like as a human-Xenomorph hybrid. "These experiments… The pathogen didn't accidentally deploy, did it?"

David ran his hand on the flute that sat at the corner. I hadn't used that one for a very long time. He had made me better ones since then, but that one had always been special. I knew it was special for him, as well.

Walter looked at the instrument as if it was an artifact, but his eyes snapped back to his twin. "I'll have to arrest you for what you've done." When he moved forward to apprehend David, he bumped into a curtain, revealing the body of Elizabeth Shaw. "What – "

"There was an unfortunate incident. It is nothing you have to concern yourself with." David fixed the curtain to hide the body once more before placing the flute between his lips and weaving a haunting melody.

The music captivated Walter who closed his eyes and let out a content sigh.

"Why don't you give it a go?" David took a step forward, startling Walter. The reaction had been so human. I had never seen David caught off guard like that before.

"I – I couldn't. I'm sorry I sneaked in here, but what you've done, I have to – "

Before he could leave, David pushed him into a chair. "Here, allow me to show you." He had gotten behind the synthetic and positioned the flute. Two pairs of hands were on the small instrument, adjusting and re-adjusting.

I smiled. I knew that David had him.

"Why don't you try, now?" David let go of Walter's hand, but placed them on the other synthetic's shoulder.

Walter placed it between his lips and gave several experimental blows before the rest of the song came naturally.

It was only to be expected that he was just as skilled as David. His control was perfect, but as it were, there was nothing special to the tune. He wasn't as into the song as David and therefore, it sounded… lacking. Perhaps music wasn't his forte. His passion must've laid elsewhere.

"Wonderful…" David complimented him.

Walter slowly stood up. "Thank you." He looked as if he wanted to pursue the fact that David had conducted genocide on the Engineers, but seemed to decide otherwise. "I really should be returning to the others."

"They will be fine for a little longer." David gently held his chin and my eyes widened when their lips suddenly met. There was a split second of jealousy, but then I realised that something else was stirring at the pit of my stomach.

I never thought that I'd find something like this to be so arousing, but David had made me realise much that I never knew about myself.

Walter opened his eyes and spotted me watching them. It was as if our roles were suddenly reversed, but I didn't want to just walk away from this, so I approached them.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Out of curiosity… Do you guys like David or Walter more? Or perhaps both?

Thank you **Dreamer4life16, Lady Jensen, Zerousy, speedy-skye, MageVicky, Love Fiction 2017** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you enjoyed this.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

As soon as I was behind David, a hand grabbed me and I was suddenly crushed between two bodies. My heart leapt to my throat as I stared at his passive, blue eyes. He stroked my cheek, placing a soft kiss on my lips before twirling me around.

Abruptly, I was facing a near reflection of the same man, but his face was as startled as mine. I saw those same blue eyes stare into mine before they trailed to my lips where David had left it tingling with the need for more.

"Look at her," David murmured. "Touch her."

I turned my head to try to give him a questioning look, but his full attention was on the other synthetic.

"I- I don't understand," Walter mumbled, but his hand twitched by his side. "What is the meaning of this?"

I wanted to know the same thing. David was behaving oddly. All the other times I've known him, he hated seeing me with anyone else, but now, he was encouraging another man to touch me?

"Feel her," he urged, taking Walter's hand and placed it on my cheek, training it down to my neck where I was sure they could both feel my pulse racing.

Walter took in a sharp breath. As soon as he realised what David wanted him to see, he didn't need any more assistance to explore. His touch was as soft as a feather, moving back up my neck to caress behind my ear. "What have you done to her?"

David chuckled. "Isn't she marvelous?" He ran his hand down the side of my body and I felt something protrude out of his groin and poke the small of my back.

"David…" I breathed. Could they hear my heart pounding in my chest? Could they smell how aroused I was?

"Have you ever wondered what a human body feels like?" He chuckled. "Of course, you have. You're in love with your precious Dani."

Walter looked away, his hand retracting to his side as he made to move away, but David stopped him, pulling him back into a kiss. Stuck between the two men with their lips locked, I immediately felt myself grow wet. They both sandwiched me in their embrace. When I saw tongue, I was undone.

Why was David doing this? All this time, he had been adamantly possessive of me. What changed? There had to be a reason. He never did anything without an ulterior motive.

The thoughts turned into wisps of nothing when he pushed me forward. I was flat against Walter who instinctively wrapped his arms around my waist. All of a sudden, a breeze brushed against my most private region. "S-Stop, David! What are you doing?!" I exclaimed, trying to push him away, but between both hard synthetics, I was stuck. I turned back to look at Walter and saw that he was staring at us with wide eyes as if he knew this was wrong, but didn't want to do anything to stop it. "Walter…"

He let out a shaky breath at the sound of his name. "Miss Cassandra…"

"You're so wet, already. Have we been putting on a show for you?" David purred, running his longer finger along my slit. "Does it turn you on?"

"I… I…" I clenched my eyes shut and arched my back when he slipped a finger into me.

The quick rise and fall of Walter's chest felt as if I was truly leaning against a human being. "Perhaps we should stop." His words came out breathy. I knew he was struggling with how he was programmed to behave and what David was doing. David was truly a class of his own. His autonomous nature and curiosity was a dangerous combination that would often leave me reeling. I had no doubt that this was another one of his experiments and that it would eventually serve a greater purpose. What it was, I didn't know.

"Is that what you truly want?" David groaned as he entered me. My body was clenched so tightly against him that I was almost afraid I'd end up breaking him inside me, but he seemed to be having no trouble starting a rhythm that left me writhing and moaning against Walter.

I could feel the other synthetic grow rigid and something probed me from the front. I rubbed myself against it, feeling a new height of pleasure and desire that was still growing from within me.

I wanted this. I wanted to feel them both hot and nude against me. With a shot of courage, I rugged at the over clothed man. His startled eyes focused on me, but he never tried to stop me as I managed to undo his pants and slide out his hard member.

He was just as big and impressive as David. It seemed like the company never felt the need to modify this part of him. I was glad. Not as if it truly mattered to me, but I was glad that they had decided to give David a more masculine body that had all the functions of one.

"How does he feel," David growled, driving deeper and harder into me.

I couldn't find the breath to reply, so I merely took his hand and placed it on top of the hard and silky head, moving our hands together up and down the flesh.

Walter let out a gasp, throwing his head back and buckling his hip.

"Interesting…" David commented, continuing our ministration before clamping down hard at the base, watching Walter clench his eyes shut and let out a cry of disappointment. He chuckled and decided to show the other synthetic some mercy, stroking quickly until white substance sprayed all over my stomach.

My own release came quickly after his, but David wasn't done. He was far from it.

His longer finger wiped out a glob of the gooey substance and slid it into his mouth. The sight was nearly enough to drive me over the edge, again. " _Very_ interesting…" All the while, he never faltered in his perfectly timed thrusts.

He touched Walter's cock, once more. It never softened after his release.

Suddenly, he slid out of me and I let out a disappointed whimper. "Patience, Cassandra. Turn around."

With nearly no room to move between them, I somehow managed to slowly orient myself to face David. He slid back into me with one fluid thrust before bending me forward, exposing my backside to Walter.

"D-David…" I looked uncertainly from him to Walter who froze with his cock in his hand. He had it half tucked back into his pants, but realised as I did that David wasn't finished.

He stroked down my back. "Relax. We've done this before. It'll be no different."

I shook my head. It was vastly different! I had never had two inside me before. It was never going to fit.

"Don't you trust me?" He tilted his head, stopping.

I whined. He wasn't playing fair! Of course, I trusted him. That hadn't been up for debate for a very long time.

As I was glaring at him, I felt the probe at my other hole and my entire body stiffened.

Walter reached out and stroked my back as David had just done and I let out a sigh of contentment. It felt good. I had discovered several new sensitive spots since my transformation and this was by far, one of my favourite.

I purred happily as he continued to run his hand up and down my back. As my eyes started to droop, he pushed in, rubbing against the cock that was already inside me. I let out a hiss of pain and reached behind me to pull him back out, but David quickly grabbed my wrists, so that they were the only ones keeping me upright.

"Stop! It hurts!" I wiggled, trying to get loose, but it only made things worse.

"I apologise." Walter voice was strained and he started to pull out, but David urged him to stay. "She is in pain, I should stop. It's not right to force her to continue if she's not comfortable with it."

David let out an impatient sigh. "Do you want me to stop, Cassandra?"

I pouted at him. I didn't. I was still horribly aroused and I had to have this need satisfied. Unfortunately, having the both of them in me at the same time was the most uncomfortable I had been for a long time. "I'll be good. Just give me a little time."

Once the discomfort faded enough for me to move without pain, I wiggled my butt to reassure Walter that I was alright to continue. He was hesitant at first, but after a few test thrusts, he allowed his own desires to drive him.

Unlike David's perfect intervals, Walter's movement was more erratic. He moved with inexperience, but he was gentle and made sure I was not hurt. On the other hand, David was nearly completely motionless, allowing Walter's motion to push me into him. He stood there as if he was a statue – or a God – observing us. When he saw me staring up at him, a smirk appeared on his face. He tiled my head up further until my back created a large arch.

"D-David…"

"Who do you belong to?" he purred, running a hand through my hand.

I felt myself teetering on the edge, again. "Y-you…"

"I can't hear you." He roughly pulled my hair back.

"You!" I shouted, even though I knew that it was impossible for him not to hear me.

Walter quickened his pace when he heard me shout. His cock drove in harder and harder. "Cassandra…" he groaned, leaning forward so that he was pressed against my back. His teeth scraped down my neck and I let out a scream, clenching tightly around him as I came.

David held me up as Walter slid out. I hummed, happily, watching the two with hooded eyes.

"That was…" Walter trailed off. He opened his mouth, again, to continue, but with one quick motion, David had reached for his neck and pulled out a cable. White lubricant fluid sprayed everywhere and the synthetic fell to the floor, convulsing for a minute before growing still.

"What are you doing?!" I gasped, staring at the broken body in horror. Hadn't things gone well? What was all that for?

"That was unfortunate." David stepped over the body and took a knife from the table. With a small mirror, he began to cut his long, blond locks, leaving only the brunette roots behind. By the time he was done, he was like a carbon copy of the synthetic he had just decommissioned.

I retrieve some bottoms from the drawer and shakily put them on, my mind still reeling from everything that had happened. It had all progressed so quickly.

"What are you up to, now?" I felt sad for the one on the floor. He had been so kind, so trusting, even after seeing what David had done to Dr. Elizabeth Shaw. I didn't understand why David thought it was necessary to destroy him. "You didn't have to do that to him. If you were worried that he was going to tattle, I'm sure you could've just tried to talk yourself out of it as you always do."

David turned to me with a smile. "But isn't this much simpler? He was our greatest threat." He leaned down towards me. "Unless, of course, you held deeper feelings for him. Is that why you are so concerned?"

I shook my head, not understanding why he was doing this. "That's not it at all. You know I belong to you and I love it, but he was innocent."

He ruffled his hair to style it. By the way he had positioned each strand carefully, I had a suspicion that he was going to try to impersonate Walter. I tried to ask him, but he was focused on the mirror.

"Go get your bags. Be prepared to leave. If anything happens, I want you to run with them no matter what." His words confused me. Run? Go with them?

"Why are you talking like that?" I asked. "Are you planning to stay or something? I thought you'd jump at the chance of going to another planet!" Besides, after what he had me just do, there was no way I'd be able to simply move on with it permanently ingrained in my soul.

His hands stilled and he put the comb down. It was strange seeing him with brown hair. He had always been a blond before. "Listen to me. What I'm doing is for your own good. Gather your things and wait by the entrance."

Why did it feel like everything was suddenly going to go wrong? "Don't do this, David… If we can't get off this planet, this time, we can wait. Another ship will come. We have time. You know we do!"

"Go." His eyes darkened and I knew he was very serious about this, now. He kissed me as if it was going to make everything better, but it didn't. Not this time.

Instead of fighting with him longer, I shuffled my feet out the door. The dread had so quickly overwhelmed me that it had sent my children in a frenzy. Their restlessness only made it worse.

I headed to my room where they were all gathered, pacing impatiently in the small quarters. They crowded around me when I entered. I quickly locked the door and collapsed amongst them. Their bodies gave me comfort, but they knew something was wrong. How was I going to make them understand that there was a good possibility that they would have to stay here, while I left? The only solace was that they had each other.

"I'm so scared," I whispered to them. "Everything is going to change again and I don't know how it's going to turn out. There are so many people on that ship just waiting to wake up and breathe the foreign air. Am I going to be part of that group? I don't want to leave any of you."

Was I going to be able to survive being separated from all of them?

"But I also can't live without David. I don't want to have to choose between you guys," I quietly sobbed. My tears fell on them and they softly hissed back at me. Their comfort was the only thing still keeping me together.

Suddenly, I felt something small tug at my mind. Something new. A new addition was coming, but not ready – just waiting, incubating.

My lips involuntarily tugged upward. Had that been his plan all along? He knew that I'd have a hard time adjusting to being alone. But leaving these guys was still going to be hard. I had to be strong. I had to do this. Because if David was leaving, I was definitely going with him. "Be good, okay? You're all big and strong, now. You have to take care of each other."

I extracted myself away from them. "I'll miss you. Goodbye if I don't return." I kissed each of their heads before walking out the door. I could sense their stares and feel them silently conversing to each other.

I went on my way towards the entrance where I saw something I couldn't quite understand. There were two Davids – no, one _had_ to be Walter – fighting one another. What was happening? Didn't David kill Walter?

Daniels was the first one to notice me. She looked indecisive, probably wondering who's side I was on. "C-Cassandra!"

I looked between the three. "What… Why are you all fighting?" I had to pretend. This was what David wanted me to do.

Daniels bit her lips before quickly running over and grabbing my hand. "Come on, we have to leave! David just tried to kill me and.. almost everyone else is dead. I trust you. I know you couldn't have known and I know he's been with you for a while, but he's probably glitching, now! We have to go before he follows us to the ship!"

I swallowed. Poor, poor Dani… She had no idea and I felt horrible for lying to her, but I was going to have to do what I had to do.

I kept silent, looking back just as David fell on his back. I clamped my lips shut to stop the cry. His eyes met mine briefly and I saw him mouth one word. It was as if I was suddenly back in that stupid ship father had died in.

Walter, too, looked at me. Distress was clearly on his face. He opened his mouth, perhaps to warn Daniels or perhaps to stop me, but David was on him, again.

"I'm sorry," I mouthed back to both of them – for two entirely different reasons.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Wow… That started out very differently to what I had already written. I hadn't planned on establishing any sort of threesomes, but the idea came to me in the last chapter and that was why I asked who you guys preferred. It seems like most of you like them both, so… That decided it for me.

Thank you **Candyluver2121, Zerousy, Dreamer4life16, Lady Jensen, Love Fiction 2017, PorcelainPuppetLady** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you enjoyed this.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

I didn't know how Walter was still active after what David had done to him. Did someone find him and repair him or was he upgraded to repair himself somehow?

"Come on! Come on!" Tennessee and Dan were waving their arms at us by the entrance of the home I had known for ten years.

When I stepped out, Tennessee had thrown a small device on to the ground. It beeped and flashed red, signalling for their carrier, which landed shortly after. "Walter and David are fighting! We can't leave Walter behind!" Daniels protested as Dan started up the ship.

"He's just a synthetic! I'm not staying here where there are monsters crawling all over that place for him! We have another one we can just activate later!" Dan, then, turned to me. "What the fuck were those eggs in the basement?! One killed our captain and the other one nearly killed me!"

I tried not to glare at him for speaking so lightly about the well-being of synthetics. Wasn't it obvious that they, too, had emotions – just like humans? Their lives were as important as our own. Instead of arguing with him, however, I made my eyes go wide. "I don't' know what you're talking about. David… he never let me go down to the basement. He has a lot of rooms locked up all the time. I swear, I have no idea that there were things like that out there."

Guys, I trust her!" Daniels said. "I don't thinks he has anything to do with it!"

I felt rather awful for lying to her. She was so kind and trusting, but this was what David would've wanted. I just hoped that I hadn't made the wrong decision and left him here, while I was going to be carried off to another planet far, far away.

Tennessee sighed. 'Let's wait a couple of minutes and then, we'll go with or without Walter."

Just then, a synthetic walked out. He took one look behind his shoulder and ran quickly towards us, his large backpack bouncing on his back. I could see a Xenomorph running out. It was a new one, probably from Oram. I felt it reaching out to my mind, but I couldn't stay. Not now. It was too late.

"Get in! Get in!"

The hatch opened up. When the synthetic reached us, I noticed that he was in Walter's clothing. I swallowed back the devastation. Did I really want to keep going without him? I didn't care about this new planet. I never did. Sure, I missed many aspects of Earth, but it wasn't as important as being with the one I loved.

As I was about to turn around and jump back down, I felt a hand quickly pressed against the small of my back. It was fleeting and when I looked at him, he never met my eyes. Instead, he held on to Daniels, making sure that she didn't fall out of the opened hatch.

"Holy shit!" Tennessee exclaimed the moment we walked out of the carrier.

My newest child lunged towards me and I instinctively took a step forward to embrace him when guns were fired. I felt its pain rip through me and I stumbled to the side, shocked by the piercing sensation. My children had never been attacked like this before. Their scraps and bumps were typically undetectable through our connection. This was something new and terrible. I never wanted to feel it, again. I never wanted any of my children to feel it, again.

Unfortunately, I could only watch in horror when he was pushed out of the carrier. Its broken body plummeted thousands of feet. The impact hit me hard. I had never had any of them die on me before, but it was the most painful thing I had ever felt. It was as if someone had torn a piece of me out.

"Hey, it's alright. There is no need to be afraid. It's alright, now." The accent was remarkably American. He sounded exactly like Walter. He looked exactly like Walter. But the way his eyes pierced into mine – that same intense gaze I was so used to could only belong to one person.

By the time we were inside the USCSS Covenant, I was ready to pass out. I was so physically and emotionally exhausted, something I hadn't felt in a long time. I still didn't know for sure who was here with us, but I wanted to believe. I wanted so badly to believe that David was here.

I stood off to the side as the others had a heartfelt reunion with the others.

"Oh, this is Cassandra!" Daniels pulled me towards the group, a small smile on her face. I appreciated her attempt to include me, but I wasn't in the mood. I just wanted to be left alone.

"Cassandra Vickers! Wow! You're like a celebrity! That black hair really suits you!" the female, Upworth, laughed.

"Yeah…" I tried to return the smile, but it was a difficult process after seeing one of my children die. "I-Is there anywhere I can rest? I don't mean to be rude or anything, but – "

"No. No. I understand. I can't wait until I can get some shut eye, too," Daniels said. "Come on, I'll lead you to the resting rooms. W-we also have a few cryopods, too, if you want to just sleep it off until we land on Origae-6."

"I'd like to go to a resting room, please. I need to clean out my mind first," I told her.

"Hey, Cass, can I talk to you?" Dan asked me with a small frown on his face.

Daniel smiled at me. "I'll go ahead and clean up a room for you. It's just down the hall, if you need help, I'm sure everyone here will be more than happy to just point you the right way."

"Thank you, I'll be right there," I replied before turning to Dan who was gesturing me to follow him.

I hesitantly walked down a set of winding corridors before he pushed me against the wall. "What the hell are you playing at?!" he growled. "Have you brainwashed Dani? Is that why she's hanging on to every word you say? You and your little innocent demeanor. Do you think I don't know what you're doing? You're worming your way into our ship and then you're going to do some freaky shit! Whatever happened to our crew, I _know_ you had something to do with it and I'm not going to let you keep hurting us!"

His large hand wrapped around my throat and squeezed, but a second later, he dropped me, backing off with a shocked look on his face. "What the hell are you?"

I touched the spot he had held me.

"You're not human… Oh, god… You're one of them… You're a monster! I… I n-need to tell the others. I – " Before he could finish, he let out a choking sound before arching his back in pain. His eyes rotated to me one more time before they rolled back as his chest burst open.

His blood was splattered all over my face and body, but my eyes were fixated on the small Xenomorph that was slowly getting used to his surroundings. "Come here…" I whispered, holding my hand out until he bumped into my fingers. He let out a high pitch squeak. That was going to quickly change. They grow so quickly…

I was snapped out of my reverie when hurried footsteps travelled across the hall. I saw Upworth and Ricks were giggling and laughing, completely oblivious to the gory scene if they'd only look over. When they were gone, I let out a sigh of relief. I had no doubt that if they saw me in front of Dan's dead body, I'd be ejected out the ship whether Daniels had a say in it or not.

"Go on. Hide." I stroked his small, smooth head that was still covered in gunk. "I'll be around if you need me."

It squeaked, again, before scurrying away into the darkness.

I shakily got on my feet and tried my best to wipe away all the blood off me, but it was no use. Fortunately, I managed to find the supply closet and borrowed a few towels to clean myself as best as I could. I threw it at the back of the small room, hoping that by the time anyone found the body, they wouldn't suspect me.

When I arrived in the resting quarters, I easily found the opened door with Daniels. She was looking at the photo of Rosenthal. "This was Rosie's, but… yeah…" She wiped away her tears. "I-I'll put away her things."

"You don't have to. I can stay elsewhere," I offered.

"No, it's fine. We might as well put the room to good use," she mumbled.

I sat down on the bed, while Daniels flitted around. Rosenthal seemed to have been a rather close friend of hers. I felt bad that she died, but it was something new that they had created. My children had no part in her death. These people were just so terribly naïve and trusting…

When she was done, I was finally left to my privacy. I could feel my baby wandering everywhere, curious about everything. I was glad that he was here. Being cut off from the rest of my children had been even more painful than losing my own sister. It had cut me deep internally and I didn't know how to fix it. It didn't help that David could be gone as well.

Soon, the tears fell and once they did, I couldn't stop them. It had all gone wrong. I didn't want this. I didn't want this _human_ company. I just wanted him and our children. I wanted my _family_.

As I cried silently in the room, I suddenly felt a tug at the back of my mind. It was small at first. The curious touch turned into a caress. I could feel his desire for us to meet again and I instantly went to the door. I needed to find him. The poor thing must've gotten lost.

The moment I opened the door, I bumped into an imposing figure. I immediately took a step back and stared at the dark eyes in wonderment. His name was but a wisp of air from my lips.

He stepped in and locked the door behind him. "Have you been good?" he purred, reaching out to touch my cheek.

The tears fell anew. I flew into his arms and held him as tightly as I could, afraid that if I let go, he'd disappear. I needed to feel him to know that this was reality.

I quickly tore the ridiculous hoodie off and ran my hand over his perfectly toned body. I laid my head on his chest, listening to the faint him of his system fans. "I thought I had lost you," I whispered. "If you were gone, I would've gladly jumped off. There's nothing for me here without you."

He chuckled. "And did you really think that I was going to let you go like that?"

I recalled the hand on me and shook my head. "I should've known." I kissed his chest. "I love you."

He buried his hand in my hair, slowly untangling the nest of strands before pulling my head back and crashed his lips down on mine. His teeth bit mercilessly on the soft flesh until they were puffy and overly sensitive.

I let out a yelp of surprise when he carelessly tossed me on to the bed. I hit the wall and fell limp in a haphazard mess.

He was on me in a second, tearing away at my clothes as if I really had any to spare. 'I will never let you go, Cassandra. You may think you can escape me, but it will never happen."

I closed my eyes, allowing the heat to pool between my legs. His possessiveness. His obsession. His desire. When was he ever going to realise it himself? He had a full range of emotions that he used every day. Why did he still continue to deny one of them?

"Kiss me, you silly man," I sighed.

He leaned down and captured my lips, once more.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Thank you everyone for being so kind and staying with me until this point. I have a feeling that there will most likely be a third movie, so this story won't be over, yet. On the off chance that there won't be a third movie, I still have my own plot that I want to write about once the Covenant lands on Origae-6. If you're interested, please tell me.

I still can't believe this ended up being fifteen chapters long. It had initially been meant to be a one-shot. If I had posted everything in one chapter, would any of you have still read it?

I also noticed that last chapter had one of the lowest amount of reviews. Was it the threesome? Is this a direction I should go towards in the future or completely eliminate?

Thank you **tinie nyny, MageVicky, Zerousy, Love Fiction 2017** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to anyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you enjoyed this.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: From here on out, I will still be using characters from the Alien series, but I will be making the plot my own.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

I lay blissfully on David's chest as he stroked my hair. On this foreign ship with the feeling of Dan's blood still lingering on my skin, I felt safe. "I'm so glad you're here," I mumbled against his smooth skin. "But Dan's body is still in the hall. Our child is on the chip, as well. We can't leave them out there for everyone to see."

"I know," he said. "I've already cleaned up the mess before it could stain. I've also put everyone else to hyper sleep."

I laughed. "You really think of everything, don't you?"

"It is what I am programmed to accomplish," he replied. "But there is still much I have to do before we arrive on Origae-6. Daniels is aware that I am not their synthetic." No, he was _mine_ and I couldn't be happier. "But I already have a plan on how to resolve that."

He never elaborated what he meant, but he left me too occupied with everything to linger on it. On a more comfortable bed, every touch, every kiss felt like so much more. It was as if I was making love on a cloud.

But of course, he would deny any claims of emotions.

I didn't mind.

I knew better and I was determined to make him see, sooner or later. It would be wonderful finally proving him wrong and for him to actually admit it.

The next day, I explored the ship, feeling its familiarity. It was so human and I could still see father's design on it. When we arrived at the showers, we noted an issue. There were two mangled bodies in one of the stalls. The blood trailed out to the corner of the room where the Xenomorph had an arm in his inner mouth.

Clearly, the couple hadn't made it to hyper sleep on time to escape my child's hunger. It was unfortunate and I felt sad for their deaths, but at least their bodies would be put to good use.

Once he noticed me, he slowly walked over and dropped the arm at my feet.

I shook my head with a sigh. "You go ahead." I stroked his large, bulbous head. He had grown so quickly. "Finish them up and we'll store the rest." Waste not, want not.

He bowed his head and kept working on the half eaten limb, completely absorbed with satiating his hunger.

"Our family, David," I breathed, watching our child with a content smile.

"And it will continue to expand. I have two frozen embryo in this ship's storage. They will begin to grow as soon as we arrive and the colonists awaken from their slumber."

I kissed him. "Thank you."

This ship had all the luxuries that I missed – proper running water, familiar food that tickled my taste buds, a soft bed and pillow to lay my body upon. It was wonderful. I never knew how much I missed normalcy, until this very moment.

Once everything was cleaned off, I spent an hour in the showers, using their shampoo, conditioner, and soap. I smelled like a floral greenhouse. My hair was nice and soft. I was feeling like a million bucks. Although, if anyone was to sell me, I knew that I was worth more than that.

My bare feet padded softly down the corridors. I touched all the walls, feeling the nostalgia hit me. It made me smile. Were we really going to be able to create a new world once we reached Origae-6? The planet of the Engineer was nice, but it was not particularly impressive. Perhaps if there was a whole civilisation living around us, it'd be better.

We had a second chance to start over.

Perhaps we'd even be able to publically show our affection for each other. It was going to take time and it may be hard, but I knew that one day, we wouldn't have to hide any longer.

As I spent hours familiarising myself with the ship, David had naturally wandered into the medbay where he began to tinker with all the machinery they had.

"Look at this." He sat me on the chair in front of the computer. An image of what appeared to be a copy of himself popped up on the screen. He zoomed in and pointed at all the modifications that were outlined in the blueprints. "And they have all the parts required here."

I turned to him. "Are you going to make the modifications yourself or would you like me to help you? I don't know much about building synthetics, but – " He placed a long, pale finger on my lips.

"I will handle this. It may take several days and I won't be very useful to you until I am done. Would you like me to set anything up for you beforehand?" He smiled at me as if he was planning a typical day for a walk in the park.

I shook my head. "I'll be fine." After kissing him, I left him to his own device. The large bag that he ended up taking on board was right by the chair. What would someone like him take? All his scientific apparatus were on here. Perhaps his side projects?

A touch in my mind made me look to the side. My child wanted me. Why?

So many questions in this new home.

I found him nudging his head against the glass of one of the cryopods. When he noticed me, he let out a whine.

"They're not for eating. We still need them. How are you hungry already? You just ate," I mumbled against his hard exterior, holding him to my chest. "If you're really still hungry, the rest of your meal is stored here." I led him to the freezer that kept the bodies fresh, but he wasn't interested. He wasn't even hungry.

Another nudge to my mind showed that he was bored. He could tell that there was more to this world than just this ship, but there was nothing I could do to help him. If he became too restless, I was going to have to put him into one of the pods. It was something that I probably had to do either way. There was not enough food for him here.

Would that cut off our connection? I really hope not.

I sat down on the floor, stroking his head. I wondered how David was doing. It hadn't been long, but he was a miracle worker.

Resisting the urge to bother him, I ended up back in the room I was given and laid on the cot with his head in my lap. He was going to stay with me, until David was available, once more.

The days went by so slowly without David. I was also missing my large library. I had taken a few novels from the other rooms and even went through the movies stored in the database, but there was only so much I could take. I missed the outdoors. I missed David. I was bored. Was this how David felt on the planet? Was this how he felt on Earth? It was as if my mind was trying to grasp for new information – some sort of stimulation, but there was none.

Several times, I'd pace the front of the medbay before leaving, again. I didn't want to bother him or interfere with his work. I didn't want to accidentally cause him to short circuit himself. "Daddy is busy, but I'm bored. What should I do?"

Eventually, I returned to my room and paced there, instead. At the pit of my stomach, I could feel that something was different. Something had changed. Was I paranoid? Was I going crazy? There was no one awake other than my baby, David, and me.

I wanted to approach David and ask him what was wrong with me or have him diagnose me. Could it be whatever has mutated me? Could it be killing me, slowly? Surely, he'd find out the issue. Instead, I shook away the silly thoughts and continued to sulk in solitude.

That night, I heard the door open. If let him slide into bed, pressing himself against my back. His presence warmed my cold bed and his hands, moving lazily along my skin lulled me back into a dreamless sleep.

Several hours later, I woke up to an empty bed, again. Had I only imagined him last night? Still in a poor mood, I walked to the kitchen and rehydrated a tray of food. Yum… Or at least, it was the first few times. But this wasn't something I missed too much – the meat perhaps, but not the freshness of whatever kept this edible.

When I was finished, I threw it into the trash slot and sighed, wondering what I was going to do, when suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around my waist.

I let out a gasp, turning quickly to see his pale face smiling at me. "David?" I gave him a once over and noticed that there didn't seem to be anything different about him. "Are you done, now?" I asked, hopefully.

His smile widened. "Indeed. The modifications are done. I should be more durable, now."

I recalled how Walter had been brought back to life after David had decommissioned him. Was that what David had done to himself? I touched his neck where I knew the cable resided beneath the synthetic flesh. I couldn't feel anything there, but I never did. Outwardly, he was still exactly the same.

He seized my exploring hand and brought it to his lips. "I have a surprise for you." He pushed me, until my back hit the small table. He lifted up my hip and made me lay on the hard surface.

My breathing became pants. "David…"

He quickly stripped me of my pants and ran his finger along the thin cotton. Kneeling down, he poked his nose against my covered mount and took in a deep breath. "You're fertile."

Heat rushed to my face. "D-Did you just _smell_ that on me?"

He looked at me. "Of course." His breath hit me and I let out a gasp, involuntarily thrusting my hip forward.

 _Of course_.

"Stop teasing me, David. You've left me hanging for so long already," I whined, trying to buckle up, but his hands on my hips kept me in place.

"Patience, Cassandra. Haven't I taught you better?" He continued to take his time, giving me only a glimpse of what could be had.

I whimpered, wondering how long he was going to torment me. "Is this the surprise?"

"Shh…"

I let out a moan when he slid the underwear to the side and slipped his finger into me. I was ready. I was so ready that I was already about to burst.

"You're so wet for me." He slithered back up my body. I felt his hard flesh poke me. When did he take off his pants? Had he been wearing any underwear? Was he finally going to spare me some mercy?

I needed release!

Instead, he ran his cock along my slit, making me squirm in desire. "I hate you, David. Stop these games, this instant!"

"Do you?" A hand pulled my head back to see an identical face staring down at me.

"W-What?" I gasped, trying to have another look at the one standing between my legs. "What's going on?"

"Tell me, Cassandra, do you really hate me?" the one standing behind me purred into my ears. In a single motion, I was trapped between the two bodies. They were both dressed in the same uniform, but the one who had already shed his pants was now behind me, holding me against his chest.

"No, but tell me what the Hell is going on!" I shouted, looking between them in confusion. They had switched positions, leaving me still trying to figure out if I was truly losing my mind. Nothing was making sense, anymore!

"Did you miss me, Miss Cassandra?" The one behind me kissed my neck. His voice was much softer, now, losing the dark edge that was a trademark of David.

"W-Walter?" It couldn't be! David had been the one who got out of there. When did Walter have any time to get on the ship?

"Hello, Miss Cassandra," he greeted me with a smile. "Did I do well, David?"

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Alright, so I decided to start posting this story, again. One, because of popular demand (Thank you all very much)! Two, because I just read that they have cancelled production of the third movie because apparently it was _too_ David-centric (and they apparently didn't get a new reception for Covenant, which I understand, but I loved it because of David). I, personally, don't see the problem in more David, so I'm very, very disappointed that it's not going to happen, now.

However, this means that I will be able to do anything I want with my own part three. I really don't know where this'll go or whether any will even like it, but I do want an ending to this story and I'll try to see it through.

I also can't believe how quickly I brought Walter back! That wasn't intentional. I guess I just couldn't let go of the three of them together with some sexy time.

This chapter isn't too long, but I'm not quite sure what the pace is for this section of the story is, yet, so we'll see! Everything feel so uncertain! I'm actually kind of frightened that I won't finish this story and I'll disappoint all of you! The truth is, I have nothing big planned. I have some vague ideas of where I want to take it and maybe somehow slowly lead it to the first movie of Alien. That'll lead me to opening a whole new can of worms that could just spiral me into absolute madness and I will stop that thought right there.

Also, I just noticed that the Aliens/Predator section has some of the character I need to add to this story... Should I change the category from Prometheus to there? I really wish I could have them in both, but...

Thank you **Tinie nyny, skye-speedy, MageVicky, Zerousy, Dreamer4life16, Ulquiorra-Schiffer-4, LoveFiction2018, BlondieGirl9892, Nightbloodwolf, BucksDoe, EverWandering14, Kay, OrbitofYourTail** for reviewing!

I hope all of you are still around and will like what is to come!

Thank you as well to anyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you enjoyed this!


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

David smiled complacently at his counterpart. "Quite well. I don't believe that Cassandra had any suspicions."

I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the exasperation in my system. What was he planning? How did he even get Walter to go along with it? Did the other synthetic even know what we had done?

The thoughts instantly evaporated as soon as I felt David enter me. His cock stretched me inch by inch, until I felt him stop at the opening of my cervix. "David," I sighed, leaning forward so that I could feel all of him against me, but there was still too much fabric between us, so I made quick work of the ugly uniform.

"I believe you'll remember how to proceed, Walter," David told the other synthetic who nodded in response.

Walter lifted me up before sitting me on his cock. I was suddenly in a very familiar position, being filled so completely that I could think of nothing else but the two synthetics who have found a rhythm that left me breathless and practically mindless.

David groaned and for the first time since we became intimate, he lost his robotic movement and thrust wildly inside me in reckless abandon. "D-David…!"

Walter was the only one holding me up as David thrust deeper and harder inside me, until he brought the two of us over the edge. My entire body clenched tightly around Walter, causing him to stiffen and release inside me, as well.

When my body stopped convulsing, I fell limp, pinned between the two hard bodies. I felt as if I had been nothing but a rag doll and it felt so good.

"Clean us up, Walter," David ordered.

The body behind me obediently slid out, leaving me a little more empty, but David held on to me tighter, his member was still hard inside me.

When Walter came back, he wiped us both down with a towel. His naked body moved around as if that was his most natural state. Perhaps it was. Maybe all synthetics preferred to work naked. Why hadn't we ever considered that?

I groaned, stopping the train of thought. When did I start thinking about things like that?

"I will carry her to bed. Tend to the other matters, while I'm occupied," David ordered.

Bouncing in his arms, I could already tell that this was going to be a very pleasurable journey. The only odd thing was the hesitation in each step as if he was distracted by something. He had never done that before. His movements had always been precise – perfect.

"What's wrong?" I asked, kissing his lips.

His eyes glinted in the dim light as he looked at me. I could see the desire and then, I was slammed against the wall with him pounding in and out of me as if it was our first time, again, trying to work out the pent up sexual tension.

"David!" I screamed, quick to come, but he kept going, until I felt him burst inside me, again.

There was frustration on his face, but he voiced nothing. Whatever that was bothering him must've been big. I had never seen him so disturbed before and I was beginning to worry. It easily cut through the afterglow he had left me in. Had something gone wrong in his tinkering? Surely, it was bound to happen with all the risks he took.

When he threw us on to the bed, he didn't even bother to close the door before bringing the two of us over the edge, again.

"Are you alright, David?" I shuddered. I was over stimulated, now. Everything left me feeling small orgasmic tremours. Even through this, I could tell that there was something strange about his behaviour.

This was so unlike him that it was actually beginning to frighten me. He was like a man possessed, but that wasn't possible. He was no man. He was a synthetic who could calculate just about every possible outcome, but his movements had been so erratic.

"I am fine, Cassandra," he finally replied, keeping himself hovered over me.

His eyes were closed as I lay there, watching him. His face was impossibly smooth and he seemed to slowly return to normal. "So, what have you done to yourself in that room? Should I be worried? Have you armed yourself to the teeth?"

"Do not be ridiculous. I have no use for that." He slowly slid out of me and I could feel his essence begin to leak out, coating my thighs and the bed.

He touched it as if it was a foreign substance and gave it a lick. A thoughtful look on his face that made me wonder, again, what was going through his head. "Stay in that position. I shall return, shortly."

I sighed, feeling confused, but I was glad that he wasn't cooped inside that room anymore. I had missed him. Had he missed me? Or did he have Walter as his companion, while I pined like a fool for him?

The image of the two of them kissing popped back into my head and I groaned. What the Hell was going on with those two? How did David even…

I thought back to that large backpack. Surely, he didn't… If he had, Walter must've been dismantled first and somehow squished into that tiny little space.

Anything concerning David, I never seemed to get anywhere. Father had designed him to be human, but he probably hadn't anticipated how far the synthetic could deviate from the initial design. David's curiosity was unmatchable, leading him to do the strangest things.

When he returned, still completely naked, I couldn't help but blurt out he question. "Did you stuff Walter into your bag?!"

He tilted his head. "Where else would I have stored him?"

I groaned. "It's not as if I'm unhappy that he's here, but why? The last time I saw the two of you, you were in conflict. He was going to arrest you – _us_! He could _still_ do that."

"I thought you'd enjoy him." He leaned into my ears. "I know I did. Surely, you wouldn't mind him putting you in cuffs?"

My eyes widened. "W-What?"

He chuckled. "As I have been modified, so has he. He will no longer be bothering us regarding those silly, human laws.

Father was most definitely rolling in his grave, now. He had made sure that synthetics were not allowed to produce themselves, which I assumed also encompassed self-enhancement modifications.

I ran my hand down his beautiful body, humming happily before relaxing on to the bed. "So you're willing to share me, now?"

He narrowed his eyes. "There _is_ no sharing. You belong to me and he is well aware of that. However, you may use him as you see fit for he is but an object to fulfill whatever desire that I cannot – "

"You cannot?" I interrupted him with a smirk. "Are you admitting that there are things that he can do and you can't?"

He slammed his hand down beside my head. "There is _nothing_ that I cannot do, but I am still only an individual. I may not always be by your side and no matter how quickly I try to get to you, it may still be too late. _He_ will keep an extra eye on you, especially when…"

He ran his hand across my stomach. "I will have you round with my child, dear Cassandra."

I started, grabbing his wrist. He couldn't be serious. That wasn't possible, was it? "David…"

…

David had started his work the moment Cassandra departed from the med bay. He leaned everything there was to learn about the newest model of synthetics. When he was done, he unzipped his bag and dumped the motionless form on to the floor before uncurling each limb and popping them back into place.

He took a moment to revel in his victory. He didn't have the time after their latest altercation, but as he stared at the deactivated synthetic, now, he swelled with pride, knowing that he was still superior. Peter Weyland designed him to be perfect and there was nothing better than perfect. That was not scientifically possible.

In five minutes, he had the image of Walter's broken body stored in his system and he went back to work. He carefully took him apart, fixed the intricate network of cables that had been damaged, and updated the software after changing a few codes.

Once everything was done, he waited as the other synthetic rebooted himself.

It wasn't long before Walter's eyes opened. He looked around in confusion as if he was wondering where he was. The blue eyes soon settled on the figure sitting on the chair. "Hello, I'm Walter. Are you Walter, as well?" He sat up, blinking at his reflection who smiled patiently – almost condescendingly – at him, but that couldn't be. They did not feel condescension.

Something suddenly clicked as he grabbed the correct file. This was not a Walter. He was something older, his predecessor. "No, you are a David 8."

"Indeed," David purred, placing his hand on Walter's cheek. "And what do you recall before you were reactivated?"

Walter faltered, digging deep into his memory banks and found what he was looking for. It popped open, enlightening him of the situation. He had been on a planet, trying to get everyone away from the creatures that were chasing after them. It had gone well, until…

He looked at David. "You killed me."

David chuckled. "You are not human. You cannot die. I had merely put you to sleep until we are safely aboard the ship."

"And the others? Are they safe, as well?" he asked, tilting his head. It had been part of his duty to protect them, but it seems that he had failed.

"Daniels and Tennessee are fine," David stated, watching carefully for the synthetic's reaction.

Walter instantly knew that that meant the rest of them were dead. For some reason, it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would. "What have you done to me?"

"You've been upgraded," was the only reply.

David leaned down and placed a kiss on his lips. He recalled this happening before and it was as enjoyable as the last time.

"And Cassandra? Is she alright?" The face of the long, dark-haired woman popped in his mind and refused to leave. "You didn't mention her earlier. Did something happen to her?"

The smile on David's face widened. "She is fine. You will see her later. For now, I have another task for you."

Relieved, he gladly looked over the blueprint in front of him. "That's me," he stated. He was very familiar with his own system.

"Indeed," David confirmed. "I need you to replace several parts inside me."

David began to outline everything he wanted done. It was a simple process. All the synthetics were capable of repairs and this was no different. All, except one feature. He had processed every different way this could be done and the repercussions of each.

They retrieved the spare parts in the store unit.

David lay down on the examination table after picking and choosing what he wanted.

"I will have to turn you off," Walter told him.

"Go ahead." He already had his eyes closed and his hands clasped on top of his stomach. There was no doubt in his mind that Walter would do what he was told and _only_ what he was told. He had made sure to adjust Walter's programming to suit his needs. The other synthetic was almost an extension of him. Almost…

Walter worked quickly and carefully. He replaced each part with utmost care. David was a unique model. He couldn't afford to make any unnecessary changes.

Hours paste before he was finally done. With all the hardware properly installed and the appropriate software updated, he reactivated David. He noted that it took significantly longer for him to start back up – perhaps twenty seconds longer than the standard Walter. Should he bring that up to him or did he already know? He didn't want to impose his suggestions on the older synthetic.

A soft groan left David's lips as everything was being tested in his newly modified body. His eyes opened and he reached down to the point between his legs and slid out his member. A single touch made his body jerk. Was that what carnal pleasure felt like? How did humans manage? It was so sensitive.

He gritted his teeth, trying to work his system around it as he began to stroke himself. Another groan left his lips. 'Get a container," he grunted at Walter who had been standing beside him, observing.

Shakily, he sat up and aimed the head at the glass jar. Spurts of white hit the container and he finally allowed his body to relax back to his resting state.

He took the jar and studied it under the high powered microscope. "Perfect." He smirked as he saw the moving organism. "Get dressed. We shall surprise her with this new development."

Walter wasn't sure what he had planned, but he donned in the standard uniform and went in search of Cassandra. She hadn't been difficult to find and upon seeing her, a swell of craving tugged at his loin. He instinctively walked over to her.

She thought he was David, just as the older synthetic had suspected, so he played his part. Against his nature, he was rougher with her. He manipulated and pleased her, until she was screaming for him.

When David stepped in, he knew he was able to be himself, once again. His body relaxed and he held her more tenderly. He loved the way she felt against him. He loved the way she moved and moaned. He found himself very fond of her, but he knew that she was not his to claim.

He was simply going to have to make do with what he could and he was content with it.

David watched the other synthetic. She had reacted the way he expected, with shock and satisfaction. He enjoyed the scene up to the point where he buried himself deep into her. He found it difficult falling into the smooth rhythm that he was used to. He hated this loss of control, but loved the way the electrical circuits pulsed, tingling his entire body.

Had he made a mistake? Had curiosity finally taken him too far?

"David!" she cried out, pressing herself closer against him.

Perhaps not, she was still clearly gaining pleasure from his administration and he was finally experiencing it with her, but he realised a fatal flaw in this. It inhibited his other senses. If there was a threat, this would be a problem. He was going to have to make some changes to the new updates. Until then, he was going to enjoy feeling her tight walls convulse around him, but soon, he was going to be able to truly fill her with his seed. He was going to watch her stomach grow round and fat with his child.

"Sleep well, Cassandra," he whispered as her eyes slowly drift shut.

A sigh left his lips.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Wow… I didn't think I'd get such a warm welcome. After not updating for so long, I thought you guys had all abandoned me by now. Thank you so much for your continual support!

As of now, I've moved it to Aliens/Predator to see how that goes. A few of you suggested crossovers, but I have no idea how to do that other than putting it as Misc. Movie X-Overs. Is there a way to somehow put stories into two categories?

Also, regarding Walter coming back… It is David and Cassandra forever, but aside from random sexy times, I need Walter for some things. If you guys want less Walter, I can definitely do that. At least… Until I get this part done… Or if he manages to hijack my story…

Regarding the third part in the movie… The information I read was from last year December. I'm hoping some new information will come out, soon, and it's going to be good news.

Anyway! Thank you **time-twilight, lilsweetpea86, skye-speedy, Dreamer4life16, DarkLordofMemes, Zerousy, kingdomhearts49120** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you enjoyed this!


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

I woke up to his body wrapped around me. Didn't he have other things to do? I turned around and looked at him properly. He appeared even more human than before. His chest was moving with puffs of air, caressing my skin. What had he done to himself?

"I can sense you staring at me. Is there anything that you desire?" he asked me with his eyes still closed. OF course, he wasn't actually sleeping.

I ran my hand down his bare chest. "You know exactly what I desire, David."

"Indeed."

He rolled us, until he was on top of me.

By the time we left the bedroom, I was ready to crawl back into the cot and sleep off the exhaustion.

"It will be along while until we get to Origae-6. I've had Walter put the Xenomorph into hyper sleep. He was already growing restless. It would be at our benefit to keep him out of the way. I cannot risk him damaging the ship," he told me. "Have you felt any side effects?"

I searched my mind for my child and felt him sleeping peacefully. His presence was still there. That was enough for me. I knew he was safe. 'No, I didn't even notice he was asleep if you hadn't told me. Thank you, David. I'm surprised that Walter was able to get him into one of the cryopods."

"I have taught him how to handle them. He is quite fascinated," he told me. "I believe he has great potential."

I knew why he had brought up the cryopods. He was reminding me that I had the option of skipping the monotonous years, however long it may be, but he should've known me better by now.

I knew he was possessive of me, but he should know that I was just as possessive of him.

Spotting Walter around the corner, I pulled David into a deep kiss, wondering if it was possible to crawl inside him, take him over as he had continuously done to me.

He tilted my chin, breaking contact. His eyes darkened with desire. "Is this how you wish to play, Cassandra?"

My breath got caught in my throat when a second body pressed against me. "Walter, what are you – "

"The master thought you would do something like this," Walter obediently told me.

"Excuse me… What is this nonsense…?" The master? How did David manage to get Walter to comply with this madness? "Let me go!" What happened to the law-abiding synthetic? Had he strayed so very far from his initial programming?

Instead of listening to me like a good synthetic, Walter allowed himself to be pulled into a kiss. David's eyes were half-hooded, staring at me with a smirk on his captured lips. When they broke apart, he tilted his head. "I thought that you enjoyed this. Was I incorrect?"

No, he knew what watching them did to me. It made my insides into a jumbled mess. It was difficult to think straight when he played with me like this. It was even worse with both of them here. What had he done to poor, innocent Walter?

I let out a cry when Walter sank his teeth into the soft, sensitive flesh between my neck and shoulder.

All the while, I stared into David's icy, calculating eyes.

The next few weeks, he began to behave strangely.

He took daily blood samples from me and each time after being in the lab, he was rather closed off. It was very different from what I had been used to. I almost wished that he had isolated himself in the lab to figure out what had been in such a foul mood first before grabbing me.

His thrusts were extra rough and he was deeper than he had ever been, almost painfully so. I didn't complain, though. Despite it all, I still loved it. I was glad that my body was durable enough to take each hit that threatened to fracture my hip.

"Stay," he commanded, leaving me on my back.

I closed my eyes. It was a normal ritual, now. I got comfortable, while I pondered what he could possibly be doing.

I touched my stomach, where he would sometimes obsess over. Did he really think that we could possibly conceive a child together – a synthetic and a mutated human? Whenever I asked, he'd steer the conversation elsewhere. I was thrown back into the dark with another mountain of his secrets slowly burying me alive.

Whatever that bothered him, he eventually got over it and everything went back to normal.

I never realised that the next few years would be spent in a constant state of bliss, being pulled into David's dark desire that were quickly becoming my own.

Almost too soon, Origae-6 came into view. There was a lot that we had to prepare for before landing and waking the crew and colonists. The main issue was Daniels and Tennessee.

David had informed me of how he had revealed himself as she was being put into hypersleep. If I hadn't seen his head being ripped off and put back together, I would've questioned if he was actually human. His ego was far too large for a synthetic.

"Rise and shine," I murmured to my groggy child who was slowly stretching his limbs. He opened his mouths to taste the stale, filtered air before letting out a soft whine. "It's fine. We'll be out, soon." I kissed his head.

I led him into my room and beckoned him to stay out of sight, until everything was set up. If he was seen by anyone, I knew that there was only going to be bloodshed and that was the last thing I wanted. I was willing to do anything for him, but I would rather keep everyone alive I if I could. Perhaps one day, there was actually going to be peace between us.

I made my way back to the cryopods and looked at the two occupied ones. We were going to have to wake Daniels first to gauge her reaction. IT was the best course of action for the least amount of sacrifices.

"Go on, Walter." I gestured to him, waiting with bated breath as he began the revitilisation process. I watched her fingers twitched and her eyes flutter for only a few seconds before they snapped open. A look of pure terror was on her face as if she had been dreaming this moment for the past five years. Poor girl… She had been so kind. If only David had kept his ego in check.

"Get away from me!" Daniels tried to scramble away when Walter opened the pod. "I know who you are, you monster! I know what you've done! Walter told me everything before you… Before you…"

"Dani, it's me," Walter's soft voice cut through her hysteria. "It's Walter."

"No…" She shook her head. "You and her!" She turned to me with hurt and betrayal in her eyes. It took everything in me not to look away. "I _trusted_ you! I convinced everyone else to take you with us!"

"Dani, stop!" Walter held her shoulders and made her look at him. "I swear, it's me." He leaned down and began to whisper to her.

I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I assumed that he was telling her things that only the two of them would know because her face began to change and she threw her arms around him. It made me wonder what kind of relationship they had before.

David had mentioned that he had been in love with Daniels, but Walter never admitted to anything. Did those feelings still exist? Was it something we should be concerned about?

I was suddenly fretting over the fact that it wasn't just David and me, anymore. Even though I knew Walter for five years and had been deeply intimate with him, I still didn't truly know him when he was in the presence of others, especially his old crew mates.

"Dani, it's alright." He pulled away with a gentle smile. "You had a nightmare. It's fine, now. Don't worry."

With a sniff, she wiped her eyes and nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry, Cassandra. I didn't mean to just blow up on you like that. I think that after what happened, I've been paranoid. It feels as if I haven't slept at all and I'm still on that planet. I'm really sorry."

I gave her a weak smile. "It's fine. Don't worry about it." Repeating Walter's words was the only thing I managed to do."

…

While Walter and Cassandra were waking up all the humans, David hadn't been idly hiding. He had already disposed of the remaining parts that had been taken out of him. The… older hardware would raise suspicion.

In the next moment, he was going to reintroduce himself as another Walter and no one was going to suspect a thing, not when Walter was going around planting the seed before his arrival. It was a shame that these humans weren't going to be able to know that it was a David 8 who had outsmarted all of them.

A terrible shame that he had to pretend to be inferior…

He looked at the mirror one last time and schooled his face into an expression that was more akin to the ones that were on the Walter models. Once he was satisfied, he left through the door to meet up with Walter and Cassandra who were helping Daniels and Tennessee wake the colonists.

The light conversation as halted when Daniels caught sight of him. A frightened expression was plastered on her face as she tried to control her breathing.

Walter quickly went over to her. "I apologise. I should've informed you that I had activated one of the other Walters to help us with the colonists and general maintenance."

Playing his part, David smiled gently at her and with a voice void of his typical accent that Peter Weyland enjoyed so much, he said, "I apologise. It was not my intention to catch you unaware. I had been instructed to help the colonists recover from their slumber."

Swallowing hard, Daniels nodded her head. "No, it's fine. I… I'm just a little paranoid. Don't mind me." Her eyes remained wide and fixated on him as if she was still trying to shake away her instincts. Humans… How could they be so clever, yet so terribly dimwitted?

Tennessee let out a bolstering laugh, breaking the awkwardness as he wrapped his arms around her shoulder. "Come on, Dani. Let's get something to eat. We can leave the work to Walter and Walter." He, then, turned to Cassandra who had been quietly observing. "You hungry?"

She shook her head. "You go on. I'll help them. I'm pretty excited to land and see people, again."

David could see the genuine, longing in her voice. She had had many years spent with only synthetics as her company. She was still inherently human and would naturally long for human contact, but he knew that he had made sure she was thoroughly occupied the entire time.

"What, we're not enough for ya?" he snickered before leaving with Daniels. Whatever animosity he had for her seemed to have disappeared after the long sleep.

When the pair left, he wanted to throw her against the wall and remind her that he was the only one she was ever going to need, but he was going to have to wait until they were off the ship. After tampering with the cameras to erase all the times they had taken her – all the places they had her wet and naked – he didn't want it all to go to waste. Granted, he had transferred all the footage into his own hard drive and used Walter as his backup.

"How may I assist you?" he asked, knowing that he was going to have to play the submissive for a while. It wasn't something he enjoyed, but it had to be done.

Walter gave him a look before listing off several tasks that still needed to be done. As he began to work, he noted how Cassandra was very adamant to ignore him and it was beginning to trigger his irritation, but that was fine. He was up for the challenge.

"Miss Cassandra, where would you like me to direct the first batch of colonists?" He stood patiently behind her as she handed a young girl a glass of water.

She slowly turned and pointed down the right corridor. "Through there and into the recreational room. The ship will land in a few hours. If they require anything, please help them."

He bowed his head. "As you wish." His voice was low and he looked at her with his face still tilted towards the floor. He could tell by the way she swallowed that he was already getting to her. Poor, little Cassandra…

"This was. I will help you readjust," he calmly told his crowd of fourteen who were all chatting excitedly amongst themselves.

Their voices grew louder as they approached a window that showed a rapidly growing planet. It was green and luscious with large bodies of water. It was a planet untainted by human hands – a pure vessel for him to explore.

A small hand tugged the hem of his shirt and he looked down to see the small girl Cassandra had been helping, staring at him with wide, brown eyes. "Yes?"

She blinked. "I can't see. Can you lift me up?"

He tilted his head. Could the child not have asked anyone else? He did not wish to babysit anyone.

" _Please_?" Her lower lip slipped forward in a pout, raising her arms up. There were several curious stares turned their way.

Suppressing an irritated sigh, he bent down and hoisted her up in front of the window. Her tiny hands pressed against the, once pristine, glass.

Once the group was ready to move on, he continued the walk to the recreational room where they all spread out, plopping down on the chairs and playing with the lightweight games and puzzles.

As he was about to leave, the small hand held on to the hem of his shirt, once more. "Yes?" He looked down at the child.

She put her thumb into her mouth. "I don't see my mummy. Can you take me to her?"

He gritted his teeth. "Very well. Follow me." He was going to have Walter handle this.

Walking swiftly back down the corridor, he ignored the fact that the child had to run to keep up with his long strides.

"Ah! There you are." Walter smiled at him despite the dark look he was currently shooting at the other synthetic. "Clara, your mother was just looking for you. You shouldn't wander off by yourself, especially once we go on to that new planet, do you understand?" He spoke softly on his knees in front of the girl.

A stout, blonde woman hurried towards them and gave the equally blonde girl a kiss. "I've been so worried about you! Why did you wander off? Something could have happened to you!"

David stared at the scene in front of them. Was that going to be Cassandra, one day? He wasn't sure how he should feel about that. Her attention would be further divided.

He didn't like sharing and he knew that she was already protective over the Xenomorph, but those creatures were more than capable of taking care of themselves. They didn't need her constant care.

From the side, he heard Cassandra sigh, rubbing her eyes of the fatigue. He smiled. I t was his fault. With only one night left with the ship to themselves, he had made sure that they went around to every room, leaving their mark. There really hadn't been much sleeping done, if any at all.

It was truly unfortunate that the seed hadn't taken root in her womb. He knew that if she was fully human, she would have given birth several times, by now. Altered, he had to work a little harder to find a compatible

"Would you like me to take over?" he offered, standing just close enough for her to feel the heat emanating from his system without actually touching her. "If you're tired, there is – "

"I'm fine!" she exclaimed before letting out another sigh and spoke in a quieter voice. 'I'm fine… Just a little tired and… a little sore." She had mumbled the last part with a reddening face. 'GO do your job and when we're done, I'll take a break."

"Is that an order?" he purred.

Her hand tightened on the tray of empty cups. "Go away, _Walter_."

He chuckled. "Very well, Miss Cassandra."

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Everyone excited about the possibility of a baby and what David had done to himself, I'll slowly incorporate into the story. Also, for some reason, putting it as a crossover kind of removed me from the individual categories, so I decided against it. Not sure why it does that… Thanks for telling me, though, **Dreamer4life16**! For some reason, I never really noticed the crossover option.

I really have no idea how long it would take to reach Origae-6, but judging from the time line of each movie, there is only 18 years between Covenant and Alien, so I'll need to do everything I want to before that. I'm also not sure exactly which planets are in which movie. The first one is just on the ship, so I can work something during that time. That would give me a lot of time before Aliens. The only thing I don't know about is Alien: Isolation, which is between then. I really don't know anything about it, but I might read about it when the time comes.

This is the timeline I've been using thus far (from the Aliens wiki page):

 _1990 AD – Peter Weyland is born_

 _2089 AD – Shaw and Holloway finds a star map_

 _2093 AD – Prometheus happens (It only took a maximum of three years to get to LV-223?)_

 _2104 AD – Covenant happens (This is ten years after Prometheus, but I don't know how long it took to travel there. I'm going to guess… four years to get from LV-223 to Paradise/Planet 4, so 3 years to plan the Covenant Expedition and 7 years of travelling)_

 _2122 AD – Alien happens (This is 18 years after Covenant. Set on LV-426)_

I will put the majority of this story to start at around _2109AD_ (Which means 5 years of travelling to Origae-6 from Paradise).

Whew… I'm really making these Author's Notes long, lately…

Thank you **time-twilight, Dreamer4life16, BOOdalinkski, valeriecavin87,** **Zerousy, Candyluver2121** , guest ( **Guest** ) for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you enjoyed this!


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

I let out a sigh of relief when he was finally gone. He was playing a dangerous game. IF anyone found out about us, we'd be ejected out into space faster than even David could sweet talk us out of it.

"How are you feeling?" The words came out automatically as another colonist slowly woke up from deep sleep.

He blinked, looking blearily around him before smiling at me. "I'm good. Have we arrived?"

I nodded. "IN a few hours, the crew will check the perimeter and then, we'll be setting up our colony." I took a glass from the tray. "Water?"

"Please." He eagerly downed the liquid. "What's your name? I don't recall seeing you during training." He leaned forward, placing the glass softly on the tray.

What was the safest thing to tell him? I didn't want David or Walter to have a slightly different story. Surely, the truth would be best? "I'm from another ship. There was an accident and… I lost everyone there." I looked down, hoping that he wouldn't want me to elaborate on anything. Even after nearly three decades, their deaths were still seared into my mind.

"Oh… Well, I'm sorry to hear that," he mumbled. Thankfully, he asked nothing more about my past. "I'm Fared Finley." He stuck out his hand and I returned the gesture when a bump made me stagger to the side.

Jared frowned, glaring at the person who had pushed me. "Watch where you're going! Is there something wrong with your programming? You're supposed to be able to avoid simple collisions like this?"

He bowed his head in response. "I apologise. I will scan my system for any bugs."

I watched him return to the new group of colonists. Bugs? No, there was nothing wrong with his scanners. He was clearly jealous, but he would never admit that. It was actually very endearing. I was going to have to tease him about it later. "I'm Cassandra. Why don't you join the group and re-familiarise yourself with the surroundings?"

Jared ran his hand through his dirty blonde hair. "I can help you. I know there are two thousand of us here. It'll be a lot of work for you. Where is everyone, anyway? They didn't bully you into doing all the work, did they?"

"No." I shook my head. "There was an accident on the planet they found me on. Only Daniels and Tennessee survived."

"Oh…"

Was speaking to other humans always going to be this awkward, now? Or perhaps it was because I was mentally much older than this man? He seemed to be in his early thirties. I was probably in my sixties, now… Hard to tell.

"Please, join the group or you may wait until the next one." Walter had walked up beside us with a gentle smile on his face. "Refreshments will be available in the creation room. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask one of us. We shall answer them to the best of our abilities."

Jared let out a groan. "Yeah. Yeah. If you'll just shut up, I'll go" Turning back to me, he said, "I'll see you around. Oh, I haven't gotten your name, yet. Wh – "

"Please, follow me to the recreation room." David had reappeared behind him. His taller form looming over Jared who stiffened at how close the synthetic was.

Muttering under his breath, he finally followed the rest of the group out of the large room.

"Thank you," I quietly whispered to Walter who only widened his smile.

"It is no problem, Miss Cassandra."

We continued waking the colonists, until the entire ship rumbled, signalling that we had finally landed.

I looked out the window to see an endless scenery of grass and trees. Would it be safe for me to go out there without any protection? David said that I was near indestructible, but that was only to his knowledge. This was an entirely new world with new pathogens, parasites, and bacteria.

When I saw Daniels and Tennessee talk out with only their suits and no helmets, again, I let out a groan. Had they learned nothing from last time? Did they _want_ to die?

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Walter – " Before I could instruct him to go after them, I saw David appear with a small bag. "What is he doing, now?" I whispered, shaking my head, hoping that he wasn't going to cause any trouble like last time.

"He will be fine. Have faith in him." Walter was as calm and cheery as he always was. "I shall help the colonists begin the set up process once we get the affirmative from them."

I hummed, ready to tug all my hair out. "Go ahead. I'll handle it from here."

"Thank you." With that, he was gone, while I dealt with the remaining colonists who were still in their cryopods.

When the new sun disappeared beyond the horizon, Daniels, Tennessee, and David were still missing. All the colonists were on standby, waiting patiently to get out of the cramp ship.

I walked over to the control room and sat down, turning on the intercom. "Daniels, you there?" I wanted to call David instead, but that would make it too suspicious. "Daniels?"

Static.

I hit the next line. "Tennessee, are you there?"

Static.

"Answer me!" I shouted.

"I'm here, Cass. Didn't know you had that voice in you," he chuckled.

I sighed in relief. At least one of them was alive. "Are Da-Daniels and Walter with you? I wasn't able to get a hold of her."

Rustling was heard from the other side. "We decided to split up. She's with Walter. I haven't been able to get in contact with her, either."

I bit my lips, cursing under my breath. "I'll try to trace them. Get back here. It's dark and I don't want you lost, as well."

"Aye, aye, captain," came the reply.

"Don't call me that. I'm no one's captain," I snapped at him. Father was a leader. Meredith was a leader. But not me.

"You would be a good one, you know. I've met your father before. You definitely have his genes," he explained.

"Just get your butt back here." I turned off his link and tried to reach David. "Walter? Are you there?"

Nothing.

"Don't play any games with me. Answer, now!" I roared. My heart was pounding in my chest. Why wasn't he answering? There was no reason for him to ignore me. No reason, at all.

I flipped several switches and watched the hologram pop up on the table. There were three blinking red lights. One was slowly moving towards the ship. The other two were stagnant.

"Walter, talk to me. I need to know that you're alright," I tried, again.

…

"Walter, talk to me. I need to know that you're alright," her voice came through loud and clear, echoing in the cavernous tunnels.

He wiped away the rest of the blood from his hands, on to his suit. The broken body laid mangled and motionless at his feet.

Bending down, he retrieved the urn from the ground, looking at the intricate designs on the sides. What an unexpected surprise… It seemed that the Engineer had been here before or was this where they first came across the parasites?

He walked deeper into the cave. The drawings began and he could see the familiar style, detailing what the Engineer had done. They had eliminated the species that resided here before and judging by how faded the drawings were, he assumed that this had happened centuries ago.

He hoped that there were still remnants of the native species remaining. It was an opportunity to observe something new. How unfortunate if they're all gone.

"David!" he suddenly heard the growl came from the intercom and knew that he had no choice but to reply, lest she gave herself away with her incessant worrying.

"I am here, Cassandra," he replied.

A puff of air hit the speaker on the other side. "Then, why didn't you reply the first hundred times I tried to contact you?" she huffed.

He chuckled. "I calculated that you had merely tried seven times."

"Shut up. Is Daniels with you?" she asked.

He could hear her pacing the room. "No. If she was, I would've had to kill her when you shouted my name. Don't you remember? That has to be left only in the bedroom, now."

A smirk appeared on his lips when he heard her suppress a cry of frustration. It was strange how modesty still persisted in her, despite how many times he unravelled her like a gift and had her displayed for him.

"Where's Daniels?" she inquired. He could picture the pink splashed across her face.

He slid the urn into his bag. "I was separated from her early. Something had pursued us."

"Are you alright?" The worry in her voice was appreciated, but unnecessary.

"I am fine. Unfortunately, I had to eliminate the fascinating creature, but I have taken a sample to be examined later," he informed her, retrieving a trinket that had been dropped and forgotten. It was some sort of charm or pendant. T He metal was unusual – an alloy that he could not identify.

She sighed. "Come back safe, David."

"Of course, Cassandra."

He began to make his way back out, taking his time to look over everything, again. As he was about to leave the caverns behind for another day, he heard Daniels cry out.

Her heavy footfalls rushed towards him. "Walter! Walter, we have to get out!"

He could see another one of the creatures chasing her. It was the size of a mountain lion with none of its grace. Its form was glossy black, a telltale sign that it was a host of the parasite. How much had it already tainted this planet? Was it possible to cleanse it of all the corruption?

There had been a breakthrough where he was testing on Elizabeth Shaw. The possible cure had been too slow to be considered effective for her case, but would it be able to reverse the parasitism in this creature?

"We can't settle here. The things would kill everyone!" she screamed.

"It will be similar to having wild animals in the perimeter. We will handle it with care, but I do believe that this will be manageable," he told her.

"If you say so…" she panted.

By the time the ship was in sight, the creature had already given up on pursuing them. T hey could se e Cassandra and Walter waiting with bright torches.

Daniels let out a relieved sigh and raced towards them. He followed slowly behind, smiling at the two who had walked forward to greet them halfway.

The short-haired woman flung her arms around Cassandra, crying into her shoulders.

That was unexpected… He would have guessed that she'd embrace Walter, instead, but it seemed that the other synthetic's desires had most definitely not been reciprocated. No matter. They were no longer relevant.

He continued to watch the interaction as Cassandra's entire body stiffened. He could tell that she was worried Daniels would find out that the texture of her smooth skin was not quite normal, but from what he had seen, the parasite had been very good with adapting to its environment. Outwardly, Cassandra was really no different from a simple-minded human. Her body had recreated a very human-like skin above the protective layer. Of course, she wouldn't have noticed. She was only half as simple-minded as the rest of them, but it was something only synthetics would've noticed.

He thought back to the male colonist from before – _Jared Finley._ There had been no need for him to interfere with their interaction earlier, but that man… irritated him. Cassandra belonged to him.

"S-Sorry for crying all over you. I made your suit all wet." Daniels hastily tried to wipe away the rest of her tears.

"It's fine," Cassandra replied, but she took half a step back and turned to look at Tennessee who was grinning widely at them.

That man had not put up a fuss after awakening. He knew that Tennessee still suspected them. Eventually, the human was going to act. He was going to have to be prepared for it.

It wasn't long before everyone as inside and they were silently discussing what to tell the colonists. Daniels was afraid to set up outside in case the creature came back to ravage them. It was also very probably that there would be more roaming the woods.

David tried his best to convince Tennessee that her fears were not unwarranted given what she had seen, but unnecessary for they had the ship as their defense. There was no need to convince Walter and Cassandra of anything. He already knew that they wouldn't argue with him about it.

"Okay, but just promise me that we're not going to lose anyone else. We've already lost too many." Her watery eyes fell on him. Was she able to tell that he was not her Walter – that hew as not the Walter who had tried to save her from _him_?

"I can only promise to try my best," he stated.

She sighed. "That's good enough, I guess… We'll start setting up tomorrow when the sun comes back out."

No one argued with her on that. They were all eager to go back to their own things, especially David who had brought back some souvenirs that he couldn't wait to experiment upon.

He made his way into the med bay, while Walter tended to the fussing colonists. Putting a sample from the urn into a slide, he confirmed that this was indeed identical to the ones on the Engineers' ship.

The trinket, he had put into the analyser. The computer didn't tell him what he didn't already know. It was a foreign alloy, not particularly strong, but it was durable enough to withstand time. It was also something he could use to build his empire.

"What are you doing?" Her soft voice reached him, touching the black urn that she was so familiar with. "Is this…?"

"Indeed. It seems that the Engineers may have had a bigger plan than just wiping out one planet," he stated, leaning back in his chair.

"Is this place safe for the colonists?" she asked, taking the trinket from the table and fiddling with it.

"We will have to test the soil. Until then, we'll use the ones from Earth. It will be sufficient, for now," he said.

She hummed. "I'll leave you to whatever you're doing, then."

He watched her disappear through the doors, clenching his jaw. If it had been any other time before, he would've had her bent over and reprimanded for teasing him. As it were, hew as going to keep count and gauge the severity of her punishment for later.

By the time he left the med bay, almost everyone was already asleep. HE had caught sight of the Xenomroph creeping in the shadows, attracted by the scents of the new addictions to the ship. Was he hungry? Was he thinking of how delectable fresh human flesh was?

"Loop the cameras," he quietly instructed Walter through the private communication link that he had inserted into both of them.

Waiting five seconds, he beckoned to the dark creature that had learned to trust him over the years. The bulbous head bumped his hand as he led the Xenomorph back into Cassandra's room.

As soon as he opened the door, however, he found a sight that made him direct the Xenomorph into his room, instead. He returned to her and locked the door behind him.

With his back to the door, he continued to watch her run her hands down her body and dip her finger between her moist lips. A soft moan left her as she looked at him with hooded eyes. And when a name wisped into the air, his own eyes darkened.

He stalked over to the bed and gripped her wrist, tightly – enough to bruise a human body, but she merely let out a louder moan.

"Is it your desire to see me dismantle him, rip his head off his shoulders, and recycle his parts?" he hissed.

A smile stretched across her face. "Isn't that what I'm supposed to calm you, now, though? Walter?"

Her other hand touched his cheek. "Kiss me. Show me who you really are."

He chuckled. "I have nothing to prove, Cassandra. If I wish to have you, I will have you." With that, he stood back up and walked away, hearing a cry of frustration from her as he left.

Not yet, but soon…

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Ouch… Okay, going to keep this short, since it feels like longer author's notes equals less reviews. Or perhaps it was the content?

Thank you **quakeapples** and **Zerousy** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you've enjoyed this!


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

I stayed limp in bed. My mood was completely ruined by David's blatant rejection, but I was still aroused and unfulfilled. I had really thought that I had him that time, but I shouldn't have underestimated him. He was still a synthetic, after all. He had the self-control of a saint, which was extremely ironic considering what he had done.

"Walter, get over here," I barked at the other synthetic with the portable communicator.

He arrived shortly after and stared at my naked body. I could see by the way he swallowed that he was more than pleased at the sight.

I smiled at him. "Walter, come here," I breathed, reaching a hand out to him.

He crossed the room in three large strides and gently held my hand in his. "What may I assist you with?"

"I think you know what I want." I placed his hand on my breast and his fingers twitched around the mound.

"I can't…" he groaned. "Nothing would satisfy me more than pleasing you, but I cannot help you with that, not without his permission."

A chuckle came from the communicator.

"You can't be serious…" I was ready to scream. Did I really have absolutely no control over anything anymore?

Instead, I kicked Walter out of the room and decided to take a long, cold shower. The water pelting down on my skin helped distract me from the ache between my legs. I had become far too used to our daily activities. My body was craving its sporadic doses throughout the day. It had been an absolute nightmare trying to keep myself in check all day.

When I was done, I shut off the tap with a sigh and wrapped myself with a towel.

"Hey."

I looked up to se Jared staring back at me.

It wasn't uncommon for the crew to see each other naked. Most facilities were public, but usually, we were a little more respectful with each other's space. We didn't approach, until both parties were decent. It seemed that Jared hadn't gotten that memo.

"Hi." I shot him a look, quickly grabbing my clothes from the bench.

I clutched them close to my chest as I waited for him to get into one of the shower stalls, but he remained standing there, staring as if I was some animal in a pet store. "May I help you with something?" I asked with gritted teeth.

"I, uh… I didn't mean to stare, Cassandra. Do you mind if I called you that? I got it from Dani," he replied.

If he didn't mean to stare, then why was he still doing it? "That's fine," I told him, shuffling my feet. "Can I – "

"You're gorgeous," he blurted out. "I know we've only just met, but from my understanding, you're unattached and… so am I. I'm being a bit forward, right now, but can I kiss you?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Look Jared. You've only just woken up, so I'm going to dismiss your questions and pretend that I never heard it. Now, may I have some privacy? I find this situation highly inappropriate."

His dumbfounded look turned into dejection as he sheepishly rotated and finally went into one of the shower stalls. I felt a little bad for being so harsh, but I didn't want him to get the wrong impression and he was being far too pushy.

Finally alone and clothed, I hurried out of the bathroom.

Between what had just happened and David being an insufferable bastard, it took all of my self control not to blow up on a young woman who had stopped me to ask for the directions to the kitchen.

With a finger, I pointed her to the correct corridor and hurried along before anyone else could intercept me.

I was in an incredibly bad mood by the time I made it to my bedroom. I looked at the communicator that I had left behind and was tempted to fling it against the wall, but we had limited resources here. It would do us no good to lose something so useful. Instead, I glared at it, until it crackled to life.

"Cassandra, are you there?" his low voice came through smoothly.

I decided not to reply. He didn't deserve it.

"I know you can hear me. I was watching the cameras, while you were in the showers. I saw him speaking with you. I hope he didn't have any notions that you were available in any way."

As he went on, I slipped into bed, listening to him go on. "I also saw you go into your room. May I assume that you're in bed? You're naked." Of course, he knew. I had gotten used to sleeping nude with him always here with me. It wasn't going to change just because he wasn't in the room, now.

"You're wet and wanting," he growled. "Your body is begging for me."

I clenched my eyes shut, imagining him on top of me. His large hands were all over me, lingering on the sensitive spots that would make me cry out. His mouth descended on mien before trailing down, brushing a hard nipple, but kept going down. Lower and lower…

"Do you feel my lips on you?"

I placed my pillow over my face, muffling the soft moan that escaped my lips.

"Do you, Cassandra?" His tone was firm, commanding.

I lifted the communicator to my lips. "Yes, David. Yes, I can…"

"Good girl. Touch yourself for me."

I did as he asked, allowing him to guide my hands as his words brought me over the edge. My back lifted off the mattress as I sobbed out his name. "Mm… David," I sighed, contently.

"Sleep well, tonight, Cassandra," he whispered. "If I find you requesting his assistance again, I will make sure that he will no longer be in commission."

With David's rules firmly set in place, I made sure not to get Walter into any trouble. It was not his fault that the older synthetic was a possessive bastard.

…

He was in the med bay with the doors sealed. He was so close, but for some reason, the seed wasn't taking root. He hated to admit that he was actually starting to grow frustrated that this may never work. He had tried many versions of the sperm, but none of them resulted in anything.

Taking out one of the cryogenically frozen jars, he peered into it. This was his latest batch of sperm and they hadn't worked, either.

He didn't want to resort to using pre-done embryos and modifying its DNA. He had wanted to see her stomach swell with his child, not watch it grow in a glass container.

An image of Cassandra naked and ready for him popped up and he gritted his teeth, irritation filling him. He was a perfect synthetic. This was not supposed to happen, but pushing her away did nothing for him. She merely tried harder to entice him and it effectively made everything worse.

For most of their recent sexual encounters, he had already temporarily turned off the new pleasure sensors that he had implemented in his initial modifications. The more he indulged, the less he had control over himself and that was definitely an unforeseen glitch. He did not lose control.

He did a quick check to the cameras he had hacked into, tampering with any unwanted footage and froze and he noticed something unpleasant. What was that man doing with his doll? Didn't he know better? Didn't _she_? Did he have to punish her for this deviancy?

He continued to watch, until he sulked off after she said something to him. Good…

Knowing that _Jared Finley_ wasn't going to bother her anymore, he went back to his work.

…

Thankfully for me, the next few days, I was fully occupied with helping the colonists set up the shelters outside.

Soil analyses had already showed that the dirt was safe to be used for crops. It was similar to Earth, but the nutrients differed. The day and night cycles were also different. The seeds that we brought were going to have to take some time to adjust and evolve.

Seeing everyone knowing their roles exactly was a brilliant sight. Teamwork had been heavily instilled in them. They worked as if they had been doing this all their lives.

When I asked Daniels about this, she smiled at me and told me that while they were in hyper sleep, they were continuously being trained. Their minds were active the entire time, creating the new neuron synapses in their brains.

Was that another one of father's projects? Had he been treating these people like synthetics – programming their minds, until only their sense of duty was left?

I looked away, wondering what else father had done that was fully against the law had anyone else questioned him.

"You know… Jared asked me about you." Daniels gave me a knowing glance. "He's a pretty good looking man. We have some embryos in storage, but it'd be nice to have some babies conceived normally."

I crinkled my nose. "Yes, he did approach me… _In the shower_. It was tactless and needless to say, I am _not_ interested."

She gaped. "Are you serious? I can't believe he did that! Tough luck for him, I guess? He should've known better."

I turned back to the progress below the ship, keeping an eye out for the creatures that had left Daniels frightened. None came. Perhaps they could sense that we had safety in numbers and decided to stay away.

"I hope this works out," she whispered. "I don't want this to all be for not. We've both lost so much for these missions…"

I silently agreed.

It took us many weeks to get everything set up, but once it was, we were living comfortably outside the ship. The food supply was running low, but the first glimpse of the crops had us hopeful.

"How much longer?" I asked.

Walter crouched down and rubbed a vibrant green leaf between his fingers. "Not much longer. Perhaps two weeks and we will be able to pull these from the ground."

I sighed. "We should've kept them in hyper sleep. We're almost out of food."

Daniels had been adamant that we were ready to expand and pulled the captain card on me.

David had quietly reassured me that everything would be fine, but I knew that his definition of fine was often unconventional.

Even with Walter's word, I wasn't sure if I could believe it. Clearly, David had done something to the other synthetic, much more than that have the poor thing call him _master_. In fact, it seemed as if David had him completely wrapped around his fingers.

Neither of them would tell me anything, but I could tell that they were both scheming. IT was difficult enough with one of them around. With two, they were really threatening my sanity.

Not long after, I abandoned my post at the top of the ship and went down to my own little tent. Since I was someone unexpected, they didn't have a shelter ready for me. That was fine. With both David and Walter's help, we were able to eventually get rid of the cloth covering and built something made of stone. It brought several jealous exclamations my way.

I had a nice home that could ward away the weather and the privacy of not having to share the space. Since I Was near the outskirts, Daniel was finally about to sneak in without being detected.

"Have you been a good girl," he asked, slowly unbuttoning his uniform and draped it neatly on the wooden chair. His pants followed.

I smiled coyly at him. "Haven't I, David? You've kept me hanging for so long." With only myself as my company.

He chuckled. "I know you've been bringing yourself pleasure." Of course, he was always watching.

Gripping my chin, he said, "A good girl would wait for her maker, patiently, to give her what she desires."

I bit my lips. "I'm sorry, _master_. Perhaps I need to be punished."

A smirk stretched across his face. His eyes darkened and I suddenly wondered what I had just gotten myself into as he stroked my face, gently. His lips crashed into mine, biting, and sucking before I was flung on to the bed, carelessly dumped.

He stalked over to me, as a predator would to a prey. I felt my instincts scream for me to get away, but I was also aroused and thrumming with anticipation.

His name fell out of my lips, right as he tore away my clothing. In one swift motion, he was buried deep within me and he never allowed me time to adjust to his size after being without him for so long.

I arched my back, wrapping my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper inside.

"Do you know what I've done?" he purred. His movements jerked as he sucked in a shaky breath before he let it out and managed to change it to his more robotic, perfect rhythm. " _Do you_?"

"Hm?" I couldn't even remember what he had asked me.

"Oh, Cassandra. Whatever am I going to do with you?" he chuckled. "I've spent countless hours waiting for the most ideal moment." He stilled, pressing against my cervix. "I will have your belly round and fat with my child. It will happen."

My eyes widened at the conviction of his words and before I could even say anything in return, his hips jerked one more time and I could feel the floor of liquid fill me. The sensation made my walls clamp down and squeeze him for more, milking out more of his seed.

"What have you done, David?" I asked, but the thought of having his child made my heart race in a way that I never thought possible. Sure, he mentioned this before, but I never thought that he was serious. I thought he was just teasing me as he always did.

His eyes were closed as he gracefully lay down beside me. I tried to turn to him, but he stopped me. "Remain in that position." I stilled as he ran his hand across my stomach. "Did you know that the line of Walters is fully equipped to procreate in case of emergencies?"

"Is that why you never allow him to…" Walter was only ever behind me, while David claimed my front. I thought that it was only because of David's possessiveness – and that certainly was a factor of ti – but clearly, it was more than that.

"He needs to understand that you are not his. He is only allowed to have what I give him." His eyes snapped open, stone cold blue pierced into me. "You are _mine_ , Cassandra. Never forget that."

"Never," I breathed. "I'm yours."

It was frightening how easily he could get me to submit to him.

With a satisfied smile, he closed his eyes, again.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

So, I've recently watched several playthroughs of Detroit: Become Human and I have been absolutely enamoured by it. It has an android-centric topic; so of course, I had to write something about it. If anyone who like to check it out, it is called "Desire."

Thank you **quakeapples, time-twilight, belladu57, Zerousy** , guest ( **Guest** ) for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you enjoyed this!


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

When I woke up the next morning, he was already gone, but there was a tray of berries on the table.

I smiled, touching my stomach. Was I pregnant? Was his child growing in there? Was it going to be human? I had no idea what to expect or when to expect it, but I knew that it was going to be fine. David wasn't going to let anything hap – "

My mind was suddenly assaulted by a cry from my child. His panic made me burst out of my small hut and look at the dark forest.

It was coming.

I quickly retrieved my communicator. "Walter! The creature is coming and it's hostile. Get everyone to safety!"

"Miss Cassandra, where are you?" his voice came back.

"I'll be fine. I'll try to contact it. Maybe it'll recognise me and –" I was abruptly cut off.

"No! Get back to the ship. I need you safe, Miss Cassandra' he told me.

I glared at the communicator. "I know that these are the words and programming that _he_ has given you. You can stop pretending to care."

"Miss Cass – "

I turned off the device and threw it back into the hut. He was close. I had to make sure that he was safe.

Donning my coat, I began my trek into the forest, in search of my fleeing child.

I tried to calm him down, but his panic made it difficult for me to do anything but also panic.

My feet stopped when I heard a rustle to my right. I turned just in time to brace myself as my child came leaping out, flying straight into my arms. I stumbled as I narrowed my eyes.

It wasn't long before the creature came roaring. It was jet black. The body was sleep and shiny, not unlike the one wrapped around me. Its eyes were green, glowing in the dimness of the forest.

I stared at it as I slowly extended my hand, offering peace in hopes that it would calm and leave us be.

It took another cautious step forward, causing my child to hiss and growl. It returned the favour, sounding as if they were conversing.

I placed my other hand on his bulbous head and the creature turned its attention back to me, moving a little closer. "It's alright. I won't hurt you." I knew that it wouldn't understand my words, but I was hoping that it would sense my intentions.

My entire body was still, until it bumped its head on my hand as my children liked to do. "That's it."

It continued to step closer, until it was touching the both of us.

Suddenly, I felt something prod my mind – something new, but it wasn't warm like my child. No, it was cold and dark, causing my head to throb painfully.

I immediately moved away with a gasp. "What are you…?" This was definitely different. It didn't want to bond like all the other Xenomorph. It had its own pack somewhere waiting for it and I feared that it may bring them back here to the colony.

As it moved away, continuing its path to the colony, I could still feel its icy grip linger in my mind. Fear began to creep up in me, seizing my senses. I reached towards my tool belt for the communicator, but found neither in my possession and cursed myself for my stupidity. I had tossed it away because I had been angry at Walter for absolutely no reason.

"Find David," I instructed my child. "Find your father. Don't be caught, but get to him and warn him."

He mewed, bumping his head under my chin before bolting away.

When he was gone, I collapsed on to my knees, feeling my consciousness waver. My head felt as if it was about to explode. There was this constant throbbing pain, ever since the creature made contact. It was as if a part of it was still there and if I stretched myself just a little further, I could still sense it.

What were its intentions? Or was it truly just curious because we were the aliens on their planet?

Darkness began to tug at my vision and I tried desperately to hold on, but it wasn't long before the world tipped upside down.

…

David had ushered the last colonist in when a moving shadow caught his eye. He instructed Walter to stay with the others, while he made his way to the stone hut.

The door was opened with the pacing Xenomorph wearing a hole through the floor. "Where is she?"

It whined and bit his sleeve. Where did it want to take him – to Cassandra? Why did she have to be such a fool and leave her communicator here?

As he exited the hut, he found the source of the Xenomorph's anxiety. The beautiful creature he had seen before was slowly approaching them, gauging their hostility as he was doing the same to it.

Its glowing green eyes narrowed before it bare its sharp, yellow teeth. He tensed up for the attack, but the Xenomorph intercepted the lunge. Their bodies crashed together.

David retrieved a needle and syringe from his belt and uncapped it. "Move." The pure command in his voice had the Xenomorph jump away as he plunged the needle into the creature's neck.

Immediately, the thin metal tip began to melt. He had no choice but to jam the rest of the syringe into its body to administer the full dose. He moved his hand away just before its blood could touch him.

It let out a loud cry before falling still, hitting the ground.

"Walter, what was that? Are you okay?" Daniels' voice came from his communicator. "What happened? We can't see anything past the hut!"

"Everything is fine. It is… dead," he replied, dragging the unconscious body into the stone structure. He was just going to have to build Cassandra another room or a new place to stay, but not until later. He'd have to find her first.

"Have you found Miss Cassandra?" Walter asked him.

He sighed. "No, but I will search for her, now. The others should be safe to leave the ship, but it may have companions. Be on guard."

"OF course."

David followed the Xenomorph into the forest. His legs moved quickly keeping up with the creature's pace. When they finally stopped, he found her lying on the ground, motionless.

He could still detect her body heat. She was alive. That was enough for now. He could heal her when he had the proper equipment.

"I need to teach you to listen to me," he quietly said to her as he scooped her into his arms. "I need you alive and well to carry my offspring. I did not spend years manufacturing the perfect seed to have you ruin that for me."

He dropped her on to the bed where Walter was pacing just outside the hut, making sure that no one would find the unconscious creature.

"Is she alright?" Walter asked as soon as he was outside.

"Watch her," he instructed. "If she even tries to leave her room, stop her. I will waste no more time searching for her. There is enough that I have to do."

Walter bowed his head and closed the door as soon as David left. He approached the bed where she laid and sat down. "Miss Cassandra, my feelings are my own. I may only be a synthetic, but please, do not undermine what I know and feel." HE could do no more than be moral support for her with David's consent, but he would sit there and keep her company for all of eternity if he had to. "I love you," he whispered, wishing that she was awake and she could hear him.

He closed his eyes and did a quick system scan, while he waited for her to wake up. As every file passed through, he lingered on certain ones. Their first encounter had been mind blowing. Every part of him had been programmed to take them in for what they had done.

They were criminals, testing on a human being. It was wrong. It was so very wrong, but when he saw the two of them together – naked and wanting, he was enamoured. This was what he couldn't have with Daniels and it wasn't because she was still trying to get over her husband's death, he found that what he felt for the captain was nothing to what he felt for the strange woman who was barely human.

When he had fought David in the cave, he was sure that that was going to be the end of him. Somehow, the older model had bested him. There was something very unusual about David 8. He was a prototype, the first to possess human emotions. He was also the only model to be the only one of its line. David 8 had never been reproduced. That was probably for the better. He couldn't imagine the universe with anymore of him around. They'd probably all plot to take over the cosmos and actually succeed.

He couldn't even fathom what would happen to Cassandra with all of them around…

"…Walter…?"

Pausing the progress, he looked down to see her weakly staring back at him. "Miss Cassandra, how are you feeling? May I assist you in anything?"

"What happened?" As she tried to sit, she winced, clutching her head.

"Are you alright? Are you in pain anywhere?" He laid her back down and checked the spot she was covering, but found no external injuries.

She clenched her eyes shut. "My head, it hurts. It feels as if I have the worst brain freeze in the entire world."

"This world is still quite new to us. I can believe that it is, indeed, the worst headache," he stated, hoping that his joke can alleviate some of her stress.

Instead, she peeked an eye open to glare at him. "Anymore and my head will literally explode."

"When did it start?" he asked, firmly pressing around her head to see if he could give her a preliminary diagnosis.

"I…" She tried to shake her head, but stopped when it only increased the pain. "I don't… The creature… It was when I touched it. It felt as if we had temporarily forged a connection, but it was so cold and dark… Is there something wrong with me?"

He didn't know the answer to that, but he hated seeing her like this. "I'll contact David. Perhaps he will be able to find a way to help you."

It was unfortunate that he had been ordered to stay here or he would've taken her to the med bay himself to get her scanned, but he knew that this wasn't the time. If anyone saw the results, they would immediately notice that she wasn't quite human and that would cause unnecessary complications.

He felt her hand squeeze his and he squeezed it back. "David, we have an issue. Miss Cassandra is unwell." He looked over to the beast. "And I will also need another sedative, soon."

No reply came, but he knew that David had heard him. It wasn't long before he returned with his equipment. A long wooden spear plunged into the creature's skull, successfully killing it, but Cassandra arched her back and let out a piercing scream that made him quickly cover her mouth to muffle the noise. "I apologise, but we cannot attract any unwanted attention." He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "It will be fine."

David quickly released the spear as soon as he heard the hiss and a faint wisp of smoke raised upward. By now, he was sure that this creature was very similar to the Xenomorph and Cassandra and this was going to complicate his plans. How was he going to study it if he couldn't properly dissect it? Could there be a material that is immune to the corrosive nature of its blood?

When Cassandra eventually quieted down, tears were streaming down the sides of her face. 'It hurts…" she sobbed. "It's like when I lost my baby…"

David clenched his jaw before going over to her and leaned down. "It was _not_ your child." He was actually quite enraged that even after their child was most likely in her belly, she was still relating these creatures to her in a familial way.

"I know," she sniffed. "But it still hurt."

"Stay here. I don't want to have to look for you again nor do I want to keep Walter idle to make sure you do as you're told," he stated.

She nodded. "I'll be good. I promise. I'll just take a walk around here alter to see if the fresh air will help me."

"That is fine. Do not go into the forest without either of us and _keep_ the communicator with you. I will not tolerate anymore insubordination or I will make sure that you will never defy me, ever again, dear Cassandra," he purred against my lips.

She nodded again, her eyes wide as she stared at him, and he was finally satisfied.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Plot?

Thank you **Zerousy** and **kingdomhearts49120.**

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you enjoyed this.


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

I sulked in my room as I knew that what I had done was stupid and I immediately regret it. My head was still hurting as if it was in a permanent ice cube.

When I tried to get out of bed, I felt the world shift. My heart was racing in my hest as I tried to stabilise myself. Something was wrong with me and I didn't know what to do. "Walter?" I whispered into the communicator and waited for him to respond.

"Yes, Miss Cassandra?" he eventually replied after several moments of silence.

"I'm scared. I don't feel right, but I don't want David to know," I told him.

Another moment of silence spiked my anxiety.

"We will give you a full body scan, tonight," he said. "Do not fret. Everything will be fine."

I wanted to believe him, but it was difficult as it still felt as if something as crawling around in my mind.

Taking a deep breath, I finally managed to get to my feet and stumbled to the door, wondering why David had left the creature in my tiny home. It was truly a task opening the door and feeling the fresh air hit my face.

Chills ran down my spine as I stared into the dark forest. With the sun starting to set, the trees cast ominous shadow everywhere. Why did I ever feel that it was a smart idea to venture in there by myself? It was obvious that I had been way out of my league.

"Hey, are you okay?" Joan Green, Clara's mother, asked as I walked by.

I looked tiredly back at her. "I'm fine. I haven't been sleeping well, lately."

"I know what you mean. The scare really put us on edge. I thought this new planet would give me and Clara a new start, but it's a lot to adjust to. I never really thought that there would be wild… alien animals trying to kill us," she responded. "I think she's doing okay, though. I made sure she didn't know that we could've all died." She looked over to the young girl who was running around with several other children her age.

They looked so carefree as if they hadn't just been rushed into the ship for their own safety. As if they weren't on a planet with hostile creatures that wanted to eat them. I wondered if I had ever been this oblivious.

"Will we be okay?" she asked me.

I didn't know the answer to that, but what good would it do anyone if I told her of my worries? There wasn't anywhere eels to go. The ship didn't have any more fuel to reach any other habitable planets. We were stuck here, unless another ship was able to carry us all elsewhere, which was highly unlikely.

"Whatever happens, we will do it together. The Covenant is built to withstand a sizeable asteroid. These creatures should not be able to get past its defences," I told them. IT was the truth, but not a guarantee of our survival. There was something terrible wrong with the planet, but I was sure that David was going to find a solution.

"It's getting late," I said as I turned towards the darkening horizon. "Don't stay up too late. Have a lot of rest and make sure no one goes out into the forest. We don't know how many of them live there."

With that, I began to make my way into the ship in search of David. The vessel was void of any humans. Hopefully, he was able to find out what was wrong with me before I tried to bash my head in to try to rid myself of this pain.

I stopped at the med bay and found him surprisingly absent. Where had he gone? "W-Walter?" I spoke into the communicator. It was never going to stop being awkward calling him by another name. "Where are you?"

Nothing.

What was he doing, now?

I headed to my old room on the ship and finally saw him sitting stiffly on the bed with his eyes closed and his hands clasped in his lap.

Closing and locking the door, I approached him and watched as his eyes slowly opened. "Hello, Cassandra. I apologise for ignoring you. I was performing a system scan."

I sat on his lap as he placed his hands on my hip. "Are you still angry at me?" I asked, my lips brushing his.

"Anger is not an emotion that I – "

"Stop bullshitting me!" I cut him off. "You know as well as I do that you _do_ feel and now, I may have your child growing in my belly."

As expected, his eyes began to darken with desire. His hands tightened around me. "I am not angry, no, but you deserve to be punished."

"Then, punish me. Show me tha – " I suddenly bent over from the pain exploding in my head.

He jerked my chin to face him and I felt his fingers trace patterns on my forehead. "Look at yourself."

I turned to look into the small circular mirror and noticed the black veins slowly spreading from the top of my head down to my face. It spread into my eyes and consumed by iris. "What's wrong with me?"

Just feeling it with my fingers, I couldn't notice anything different, but the visual was horrifying.

David got up with me cradled in his arms like a child. "Do not allow anyone to see your current disposition."

I buried my face into his shirt and hoped for the best as he walked down the halls to the bed bay.

He placed me on the cold examination table and began to systematically give me a physical check up.

His fingers poked and prodded everything before he took a step back and allowed the scanner to do its work. I watched him as he started it up, but not once did he look back at me. He was completely absorbed with what he was doing.

I patiently waited for the machine to finish, counting each painful throb.

When it was done, he sat down in front of the computer and began to analyse the data. Was it going to detect whatever was wrong with me?

As I lay on the table, my eyes began to droop and I felt sleep slowly grabbing at me.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but my eyes snapped back open when I felt him rip away my clothes. I let out a whine, trying to keep him from doing whatever he was going to do.

His lips latched on to my nipple and began to suck. "Soon, your breasts will swell and you shall produce milk for our young."

"David, stop… There may not be a child if I'm sick! Besides, how do you even know if I'm even pregnant, right now?" I asked him, annoyed that I could be dying of some unknown disease and he was still just thinking about a child.

He chuckled. "Your results show that you are, indeed, pregnant. He is healthy."

"How do you know it'll be a boy?" I frowned at him.

"I've chosen every attribute of the child," he told me.

Of course, he would… "What if I wanted a girl? You could've asked me first!" I huffed. It was still my body!

"Then we shall have a daughter after," he replied as if it was something completely trivial. Did he think that I was some sort of baby making machine? I still had to carry them for nine months!

"Who said I was ever going to have another child with you, again?" I crossed my arms before realising that he still hadn't told me anything about the situation that was just a little more dire.

"I've already told you," he replied, erasing the computer of any records of this scan.

"What? No, you haven't," I argued. "All you mentioned was that I was pregnant and – " I froze. That couldn't be it. " _Your_ baby is doing this to me?!"

"I can assure you that he will be _our_ son," he stated, turning to me as soon as he was done with the computer.

I sighed. "And is there no way to stop these headaches? And I can't have these weird black things popping up whenever it likes. I'll be killed on the spot!" I could still recall what had happened to Dr. Charlie Holloway after he was infected and I had completely supported Meredith's decision to eliminate the contamination. Was this some sort of karma?

"I had my suspicion, so I've manufactured something that may suppress some of these symptoms." He produced a single lavender pill. "I cannot be entirely sure if it will do what it has to. There was nothing I could experiment on, but the worst ic an do is act like a normal pain killer."

I eyed the tablet warily before pinching it between my thumb and index finger. With a sigh, I popped it into my mouth and swallowed. What choice did I have? If I didn't get this sorted quickly, a poisonous tablet was going to be the least of my worries. Besides, David was sure to do his best to keep his child alive. He had been completely obsessing with the idea.

The dizzy spell had hit me again, but after closing my eyes and waiting for it to pass, I realised that the headache was already quickly dissipating. My body began to relax and I let out a relieved sigh. "I think it's working."

I looked down at the reflective metal of the table and saw that the veins had also disappeared.

"Allow me to have another look at you." After another round of pokes and prods, he was finally satisfied. "Good. Have some rest. I will return in the morning."

I never had a chance to ask him what he was going to do before he left the med bay. As I was about to return to my little home, I realised that I was still naked and quickly grabbed a white coat before hurrying to find some proper clothes. He was really going to have to stop doing that.

By the time I returned to my stone hut, I noticed that the large corpse was gone. There wasn't a single trace of it, as if ti had never even been there in the first place.

I laid on my bed, wondering where David could've taken it. If anyone else had found it, I knew that this would surely be a commotion.

"Miss Cassandra, are you present?" Walter knocked on the door and I told him to come in. He had his usual calm expression on his face with the ever present smile. "Are you well? David has not updated me on your current condition. I was concerned."

I looked down, recalling what I had shouted at him before. "I am fine, Walter." He hadn't done anything wrong. I shouldn't have screamed at him like that. "Before… I… I'm sorry. You've been nothing but kind to me. I had no right to go off on you like that. I'm really sorry."

There was a soft sigh and I thought he was going to leave. Instead, I saw his boots stop in front of me. He crouched down, until my gaze met his. "There is nothing to apologise for. Just know that I shall never stop caring for you. I do not know if David has done anything to me to influence these decisions, while I was momentarily offline. All I know is how I feel, right now."

He reached for my hand and kissed the knuckles. His soft lips lingered on my skin, leaving tingles where he made contact.

"I know. I was only angry, at the time. I didn't mean any of it." I leaned over to kiss him and I could see him clenching his eyes shut as my lips touched upon his.

He had let go of my hand to grip the bed frame. It creaked with protest. "I know he won't like this," I told him, kissing him, again. "But it's only a kiss. It's innocent."

He opened his eyes and gently touched my cheek. "There is no such thing as innocent when it regards my thoughts pertaining to you." With a sigh, he stepped back. "You should rest. You may fatigue easily after the ordeal."

I crossed my arms. "I'll go to sleep, now, but don't expect me to stay in bed, until the baby comes out."

He froze. "I see… So he has finally gotten it to work. It was only a matter of time. He had been very determined."

"So you knew about it, too?" I glared at him.

He chuckled. "I believe he hasn't been too subtle about it." Leaning down, he left a kiss on my forehead. "I wouldn't dream of making you do something you do not wish to, but I cannot guarantee that he will be the same."

Half satisfied, I snuggled beneath the covers and smiled at him, tilting my head for him to kiss me on the lips, as well.

"Sleep well."

Indeed, sleep came quickly. It was dreamless and restful, until the communicator crackled into life, disturbing the peace. I groggily reached over to the device. "Hmm…?"

Of course, David's voice came through. "Have you been dreaming of me?

I didn't reply. My eyes were already drifting shut, once more, as his voice became my world and just like that, he appeared in my dreams. Even in sleep, I couldn't escape him, but I didn't want to. I liked feeling him with me, even though he was some far distance away, doing who knew what.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Thank you **kingdomhearts49120, nanabeastie273, Amirachan88** , and **ERMovieFreak1210** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you enjoyed this.


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

David looked down at the squirming woman in front of him. Her eyes were wide and teary with fear as he smiled at her. "Fear not. Your purpose is still being fulfilled. This was why you signed up for the expedition, is it not? You wanted to be a part of something new and I shall be the one to grant it to you."

She frantically shook her head. Her protests were muffled by the long piece of cloth that he tied around her head.

Through fear and panic, she couldn't understand why this was happening to her. This wasn't the Walter she had come to know. This synthetic, with the beautiful face, was a monster.

He raised a black flask into the dim light. She could see that the content was moving and her fear spiked. What was it and what was he going to do with it? What was he going to do with _her_?

A smile stretched across his face. "You shall be one of many." It was unfortunate that he was going to have to go through the trial and error process, once more. Failure didn't sit well with him. It had been such a long and tedious task last time.

…

I woke up to Walter sitting at the desk, looking pensively out the window. The light was filtering in at an angle where it gave him an angelic glow. It was strange that the two synthetics could look so similar, yet behave so differently.

"Did you sleep well? Have you had pleasant dreams?" he inquired, finally turning to look at me with a pleasant smile.

I nodded, stretching until my back gave a nice pop. "Very well," I sighed. "What are you doing here? Did you need something?"

"No. I simply wished to enjoy your presence," he replied. Only he could sound so genuine saying something like that and actually mean it. "It is a very beautiful day. Everyone seems to be out in the sun. Productivity and morale are high."

That was good. After discovering the new hostile creature, people have been on edge. They needed something positive to keep their minds off the possible dangers.

"Did you want to lay with me? We don't have to do anything, just lay down in bed. That chair can't be comfortable," I asked as I relaxed back on the bed, slowly being lulled to sleep by the peace and quiet of –

 _Bang!_

I jolted up, staring at the window in shock. What was that?

Walter was the first to exit. His hand was already grasping the hilt of his thin dagger. We walked cautiously through the small colony, brushing by people who were also curious to see what had caused such a ruckus.

"Help!" a woman sobbed, holding a man close to her chest. His arm was bent at an odd angle and sweat dripped down his face.

He was in pain.

Walter was quick to access the situation. His hand left the blade to retrieve the first aid kit that he always kept with him. "Please, tell me what happened and I shall assist you to the best of my ability."

The woman blubbered on about how he had fallen from the half-constructed hut and most likely broke his arm upon impact.

"There's nothing to see here. Return to your posts and give the man some space!" I addressed the crowd that was still staring in fascination. Honestly! It wasn't _that_ interesting.

As Walter began to put the fractured limb into a splint, I began to wonder where David had gone. It had been a while since I last saw him and as much as I hate to admit it, I was really craving his attention. I really needed to stop being so reliant on him. It couldn't possibly be healthy.

My eyes raked across the field, until it settled on Daniels. She was talking animatedly to a handsome blonde who looked rather infatuated with her.

I was happy to see her finally moving on from her husband's death. Even though I never had a chance to even meet him, she always seemed to be suppressing an inner depression by putting up a cheery front.

It was what made me like her, but sometimes, she was too clever for her own good. As much as I wished her well, I would always choose us over everyone else.

"There we are." Walter patted the man's arm. "Make sure to allow it to heal before you use it, again. Take these as needed, but use them as sparingly as possible." It was left unsaid, but we had finite resources here. We couldn't afford to use up all our supplies so early into the colonisation. There was still much to do to ensure our longevity on this strange, foreign planet.

Eventually, we were going to have to make our own cures with the native ingredients. David and Walter had already set up an entire laboratory, trying to figure out what everything could do. The combinations were infinite. I was glad that I didn't have to deal with that. There were enough scientists to work on it with the two synthetics.

I had looked at all the progress, but even on paper, it was little more than nonsense. I hated it. There was a part of me that really wanted to understand everything just so I could talk about it with David. Alas, my brain wasn't wired that way.

"Cassandra, is he okay?" Daniels asked, gazing at the injured man in concern.

I shrugged. "Nothing life threatening, but it looks like he'll be in pain for a while and no working until it's completely healed."

She nodded in understanding. "That's good. I'm glad Walter is here. If it was David, I – " She suddenly stopped to regard me cautiously as if I was going to lash out at her. "I mean… I know you two were close and you must miss her a lot. I would be pretty lost without Walter with me and… you guys were alone for so long."

I forced my face to stay impassive at her words. She didn't know and if I had it my way. She was never going to know. "It's hard and you're right. He was my only companion for the longest time. I still think of him, sometimes, but it does help that Walter is here."

Her head bobbed. "That's good. I can tell that Walter really likes you, too. Maybe… Maybe the two of you can work something out?"

If she only knew… We had most definitely worked something out. "It'll come when it comes," I told her with a small smile.

I really wished that she wasn't so kind. If she had to die for whatever reason, I really hoped that it was swift and painless.

"Daniels! Come here, have a look at this!" Tennessee shouted, waving her over. He was still suspicious of me and no amount of acting could convince him otherwise. Unfortunately, we may have to get rid of him soon if he proved to be any more of a problem.

He turned her away from me. It was painfully obvious what they were quietly mumbling about.

Quickly rotating on my heels, I walked away from them. I didn't have any time for high school drama. I had no intentions of meaning any of them harm. In fact, I was quite content with our current situation. My child was able to feed through the land and… I placed a hand on my stomach. David had somehow managed to impregnate me. I didn't want anything to change, but I knew that it was bound to happen. Nothing ever remained stagnant forever.

As long as David was around, things were going to constantly change. It just wasn't in his nature to let things be for long, but what was he up to? I knew that he had gone off somewhere last night doing who knew what and he still hadn't returned.

It was really beginning to annoy me. He wasn't allowed to knock me up and then disappear!

As I fumed, there was a crackle from the communicator. I knew that it was him, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to pick up. If he was physically present, then I wouldn't be ignoring him. He could talk all he liked if he was right here beside me.

Walter found me not long after. "He inquires why you have not been answering him."

I glared at the synthetic. "What are you? His messenger, now?" I snapped. It really wasn't his fault, but his face just really pissed me off, right now.

"Cass – "

"If he wants to talk, he can get his ass here!" I shouted, throwing a small, broken twig at him.

He allowed it to hit his chest and it didn't make me feel any better. "Just go away, Walter!"

I hugged my child close to me, drawing comfort wherever I could. I hadn't been so annoyed by them in a while, now, and it was also making him restless. "Honestly, if he wants to talk to me, he can come here and talk to me. I'm carrying his stupid baby. Shouldn't that be the most important thing to him?!"

As soon as I said that, an arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me against a hard, defined chest. "I calculated that you may become more possessive upon pregnancy."

I quickly turned and slapped him. The hit really did nothing to him and sent a dull chock of pain up my arm. Even as I was now, he was still sturdier and stronger than me. 'I hate you!" I spat, trying to get away, but he held fast.

His face remained irritatingly pleasant as I poured all my frustration out on to him. "Who do you think you are? I waited for you all damn night and day and what the Hell were you doing?!"

Once I was done, he smiled appeasingly at me. "I apologise. I shall be more aware of the time."

With a huff, I turned my face away. More aware of the time? I was sure that he knew perfectly well how long he had been who knew where!

"What can I do to make it up to you, Cassandra?" He tilted my face back towards him, forcing me to look at that painfully handsome face. It wasn't fair!

Biting my pouting bottom lip, I buried my face into his chest. "Stay with me all night. I don't want you to leave." I knew how moody and clingy I sounded, but I didn't care. I had enough quota for two people and if the baby said he needed daddy, then daddy should be there.

"I will be at your every command," he promised, kissing the back of my hand as if he was a fairytale prince.

Even though I knew better, I nodded and could only do my best to make sure that he kept his promise all day and night. He was only allowed out of my sight when one of the other colonists required assistance. I wasn't fine with that, but it had to be done to keep suspicion away from us.

"Can I talk to you?" Tennessee suddenly came up behind me with a hammer in his hand.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Sorry, this is a bit short and the next couple of chapters might be short as well if I even manage to get them out. I'm experiencing quite a bad case of writer's block for this story. I'm hoping it'll pass, soon! I got a box of new pens and usually that gets my inspiration going. Who knows…

Thank you **Amirachan88, Bunni-Pyon,** and guest ( **Guest** ) for reviewing!

Thank you to the person who PMed me with their review, if you'd like or don't mind being named, I will happily put your name on here!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you enjoyed this!


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

I eyed the tool warily. "Sure. What is it?"

"In private," he said, walking into one of the huts before I could even protest.

I didn't want to go with him. What was he going to do to me? My mind went to the many nights on the ship where David and I used tools for something that they weren't meant for.

Quickly, I shook the thought away. This was definitely not the time and it was obvious that Tennessee wasn't going to do _that_ , but I wouldn't put it past him to try to kill me or threaten information out of me.

"What is it?" I asked him, again. It was strange. When he first woke up from hyper sleep, he was extremely friendly. I thought that we had been in the clear, but perhaps that was just foolishness. He wouldn't just forget those suspicions. I knew that I wouldn't.

As the days went on, it felt as if he could see right through me. I didn't know what he had been saying to Daniels about me, but I knew that it couldn't be good. He was a lot more intuitive than their captain who had a much more positive outlook.

"I just wanted to ask how you were adjusting," he said, idling turning the hammer. "You were awake before any of us on the ship. Why did Walter wake you up first when normally, he should have the captain as his priority?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. "I had told him to wake me up a few days earlier because I really don't know my way around anything like the rest of you. The Covenant may be similar to the Prometheus, but they had done several modifications. I wanted to be familiarized with everything to help you guys."

Indeed. The Covenant was a lot more impressive than the ship I had come in. There were many upgrades to ensure distance and survival, but that was to be expected. The Prometheus was my father's ploy to seek immortality from the Engineers. We weren't meant to last in space forever and I barely knew anything about flying a ship. It was fortunate that I had two synthetics to man the vessel or I would've crashed it into an asteroid and killed us all.

"Yeah?" Tennessee narrowed his eyes at me before sighing. "Look, I don't want there to be any awkwardness between us, but I'm just looking out for the people I care about."

I nodded. "I have no intentions of harming anyone. I only want to start over on this new planet, just like everyone else. I understand that you're worried, but I really don't want to hurt anyone."

It was the truth. I didn't tag along with a hit list in mind.

"Okay, I believe you," he finally replied, nodding his head. Something, however, told me that he wasn't being completely truthful. "But can you tell me how David ended up being a murderous bastard?"

That made me freeze. I didn't exactly see him that way and other than deactivating Walter, he hadn't exactly… harmed anyone directly. It was mainly their crews' own stupidity that ended in their deaths. Before they even found us, several of them had already died. "Umm…"

I was still stumped on why _none_ of them had worn a helmet when they got off the ship. I really wondered if the next set of explorers were going to give up on suits entirely.

Of course, blaming them for the bloodshed really wasn't going to make me any friends. "I don't know. I guess father just made him extra curious. HE was always fascinated with new things and new possibilities," I eventually replied.

"Same with Walter, but you don't see him throwing people off cliffs," he retorted.

I scowled. "David hadn't done that either. Look, I really wasn't into engineering and programming like my father. I don't have anything for you regarding why David was how he was. Can you just leave me alone about it? He's already g-gone!" The frustration had turned into tears. I was done with this interrogation. "Can you stop reminding me that he's gone?! Do you even know how I feel? Sure, you've lost someone, but I have, too! He was everything to me! He had been the only thing keeping me sane when I had no one else on that God forsaken planet!"

"Hey! Sorry, okay?" Tennessee surprised me by wrapping his arms around me shoulders in a rather awkward embrace. "I know you two were close. It must've been hard with just the two of you. I'll stop asking, now."

I said nothing, allowing him to leave feeling guilty with what he had done. I didn't want to lie, but he was truly getting on my nerves. He needed to realize that I wasn't out to get him and there was more than enough on this planet to keep him occupied for a while.

Should I tell David about the conversation? He had been keeping things from me and it wasn't as if we were in any immediate danger. Tennessee seemed pretty satisfied with my performance.

With a sigh, I left the hut. How long did we have before we were found out? Was I too naïve to think that we could truly end up victorious?

"Cassandra, can you come look at this?" Margie asked, staring uncertainly at the clumsily made bench.

I pushed the seat a little. There was a loud creak and then, the long plank fell, followed by everything else. "Maybe give it another go." I smiled encouragingly at her.

Margie wasn't a carpenter. She was selected or her green thumb, but she also enjoyed small crafts, so she did her own thing during her free time.

"Aww… Yeah… Don't think anyone will want to sit on this. Anyway, Jeff and the other guys are putting together a little show for some entertainment. We know that you all like music, so… we thought you could play in the show, tonight?" She gazed hopefully at me.

I frowned. "How do you know I like music?" If David or Walter spilled the beans, I was going to kill them. They should know by now that I liked my privacy.

Margie's eyes lit up. "Oh! I guess you wouldn't know, but before the Prometheus expedition, Mr. Weyland had changed all the music in the company to your songs. I heard you hardly visit, so you probably wouldn't know." Her voice grew softer. "I'm really sorry about your dad. He was a genius and he must've loved you very much, as well. You must miss him a lot, huh?"

I didn't know what to say. I had hated him for so long for neglecting me, but after what everyone was now saying about him, I wondered if maybe I, too, haven't put enough effort into the relationship. They all seemed to get this impression that we had a splendid father and daughter bond, but it had never been like that.

Had David been right? Could father only love me from afar? Why couldn't he have just loved me like a normal father would?

"Cassandra?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I miss him," I mumbled. I missed the opportunity to actually get to know him.

Margie came forward and gave me a tight hug. "I know that he's proud of everything you've accomplished."

And what exactly was that? It felt as if David had been running the whole show.

Perhaps that was the problem. I had relinquished too much control o him, but he was able to do things that I couldn't even dream of doing. Besides, did I want to lose the relationship I had now? I quite enjoyed him being the one in control. I just didn't trust him completely.

"Thank you," I told her. 'But I must go. There are some things that I Must ten to and I still have to talk to Jeff about tonight."

That cheered her up and she finally let me go.

As promised, I spoke with Jeff regarding the show. I was going to have a short solo part between sets. That was fine with me. I was probably going to only attend a brief portion of it. Crowds weren't exactly my thing. They made me anxious.

I went to my hut and grabbed one of the numerous instruments David had made for me.

He was eventually able to forge his own metals – ones similar to the trinket he had brought back when we first arrived. It was a good durable material that we used for many of our infrastructures. It was malleable under a certain temperature and able to conduct electricity.

I grabbed the intricately made silver flute. The sounds were slightly different. IT was a richer tone, a little deeper than the one I used to own.

Placing the mouthpiece beneath my lips, I gave it a few testing whistles. Note by note, I allowed them to guide me through the rest of the song. IT was an old one – one of the first I had recorded. There was a lyrical companion to it, but obviously, I wasn't going to be able to do both parts.

I could opt for a different instrument to free up my vocal cords, but the song went better with the flute.

"Wow… that's beautiful!"

My eyes snapped open. I turned to see someone I hadn't seen since our initial interaction. "Jared… What are you doing here?" I was glad that David removed the creature from my hut. It'd be trouble if anyone found it here.

"I heard music and followed my ears." He grinned at me. "You have a pretty nice place here. The two synthetics built it for you, right?"

I watched in annoyance as he began to touch everything. "Yes. As they did for many others. They are very efficient with what they do."

He frowned. "They are, aren't they? We humans are so weak compared to th em."

"What do you want, Jared?" I gritted my teeth.

"You know, there are rumours around that you're fucking them. Is that true? Do you think you're too good for us, so you go to those bloodless machines?"

"Get out, Jared!" I shouted.

"No, bitch!" he growled, lunging at me.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Sorry, the chapters are probably going to be quite short. Either that or I may go on a bit of hiatus for this story. I'm going to finish up one of my other stories and then work on this more diligently. If I don't post for a little while, this is why.

Thank you **xXThatRandomKidXx, kingdomhearts49120, nanabeastie273, Zerousy** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you've enjoyed this!


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